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Journalism of Courage
Making formal her intentions to take the coalition route to the Centre, Congress president Sonia Gandhi today said her party had ‘‘an open mind’’ on pacts and it was now ‘‘incumbent’’ on secular parties to come together.
But the Shimla Sankalp, the Congress policy document finalised here, skipped any reference to coalitions, reflecting the divide within on the issue. Seeking, therefore, to dignify the party’s decision to take the coalition route, Sonia, in her valedictory address at the Manthan Shivir, put the onus on possible partners to enter into pacts with the Congress.
She said it was the responsibility of all secular parties to come together and ‘‘defeat the BJP and its allies.’’ What most people noticed was that she did not refer to it as the National Democratic Alliance. With this the Congress has kept open the option of doing business, if need be, with NDA parties not ideologically inclined towards the BJP.
On Ayodhya, and without naming Kashi and Mathura, Sonia made it clear that that these were not negotiable — she quoted the Narasimha Rao Government as placing it on record in 1992 that status quo would be maintained on the status of all places of worship.
She, however, said that the Congress was ‘‘not against the facilitation of a negotiated settlement’’ among parties to the dispute but it must have ‘‘complete legal sanction and sanctity.’’
Taking a softer line on reservations for backward classes in private sector, the Sankalp stated that the Congress would start a ‘‘purposeful dialogue with private industry on how best India’s social diversity could be reflected in the private sector in different ways like reservation and fiscal incentives.’’
On coalitions, the party did a U-turn on its Pachmarhi stand — of going it alone in the elections — when it spoke of ‘‘an open mind’’ on coalitions. Keeping its options open on alliances before and after the elections, Sonia recalled the party’s Bangalore plenary session of 2001: ‘‘Taking into account the present political scenario, the Congress would be prepared to enter into appropriate electoral or coalition arrangements.’’
But she made no mention of the next paragraph of the plenary resolution which stated: ‘‘This means there’s no question of the party coming to any understanding with communal forces like the BJP or any party consorting with such communal forces.’’
After clarifying the party stand on issues like secularism, nationalism, development and security, the Congress now expects possible allies to make the first move on joining hands.
In fact, Sonia laid particular emphasis on the need to come together: ‘‘The prevailing situation in the country makes it incumbent on all secular forces to intensify their efforts to evolve a strategy for combating communalism and religious fundamentalism.’’
There’s also a change in language. While in Pachmarhi the party said coalitions should be considered only ‘‘when absolutely necessary’’, Sonia said the ‘‘prevailing situation in the country’’ makes such a coalition necessary.
The party passed the Shimla Sankalp which stated that the party was ‘‘fully prepared to face national elections any time’’ under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi, setting the parametres for possible coalitions.
Seeking to balance its anti-Hindutva line, the Sankalp stressed that it would fight ‘‘religious fundamentalism of all kinds.’’ In what is a rough manifesto of the party, the Sankalp sought to package the Congress-PDP government in Jammu and Kashmir as proof of the party’s commitment to national interest.
At the same time, the Sankalp stated: ‘‘The Congess will forcefully resist all attempts at using the issue of cross-border terrorism to polarise our society on religious and communal lines.’’
