Sonia calls CWC meet to take stock

NEW DELHI, JAN 8: A tentative Congress leadership is being forced to get down to serious business both within and without the party after...

NEW DELHI, JAN 8: A tentative Congress leadership is being forced to get down to serious business both within and without the party after days of waffling. Party president, Sonia Gandhi, has called a meeting of the CWC on January 15, a week after her much-delayed tour today to areas where members of minority communities have been attacked, and even killed.

The CWC is slated to meet at a time when the Congress is facing one of the troughs of political cycles where the party8217;s goodwill in late November, which resulted in three State election victories, seems to be ebbing while Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee grapples with problems every day.

Nothing positive has happened as far as the BJP is concerned but even the Congress is facing difficulties. Firstly, Sonia was most reluctant to take up the issue of attacks on Christians in Gujarat and made a quickly-arranged trip today to the State after her advisers felt Vajpayee must not be allowed the glory of going there before Sonia. However, Sonia had a majorhurdle to overcome. No Christian has yet died in the Gujarat attacks while around seven Muslims were killed in the Karnataka riots.

Taking up the Christian problem would thus lend Sonia an image of pandering to her religion while ignoring Muslims. Therefore, Sonia ordered her partymen not to say a word on seeking the Keshubhai Patel government8217;s sacking. This would have meant a similar demand on the J H Patel government which the Congress is not keen on. While this was on, Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Sharad Pawar made a statement saying the Gujarat government should be dismissed. 10, Janpath was quick to react. Party spokesperson Ajit Jogi, also a Christian, was asked to make amends and reiterate the Congress position that Article 355 of the Constitution should be used before Article 356.

Article 355 says the Centre can warn a State government before taking more severe action like dismissal under Article 356. Jogi therefore suggested the Congress would prefer the use of Article 355. Pawar was asked to getin touch with 10, Janpath and explain what precisely he said on the issue. It was another instance of Sonia and Pawar speaking at cross purposes.

Pawar got back from Kolhapur and is believed to have made several phone calls before he could put forth his point of view to 10, Janpath. Apparently, Pawar said he didn8217;t mean anything serious and that reporters had asked him many questions on the subject. There was also a hint of the usual 8220;misquoting8221; routine. That done, Sonia swiftly chose to club both Gujarat and Karnataka in the same day. On Gujarat, she again stopped short of seeking the government8217;s dismissal saying such an eventuality. However, the Gujarat attacks are only one of the Congress8217;s hassles. Having got the AICC to agree to a historic reservation of party posts for women, SC/STs, OBCs and minorities, Sonia is now confronting problems within the organisation.