Sonia sets up panel on report

By the time Mrs Gandhi left the city after attending to her engagements on hand for the Quit Indian anniversary, journos realised they might have been had. And that by a lady still finding her feet in her new found role and sidestepping the dicey situations by ingeniously stonewalling queries on the Congress8217;s position on the punishment to be meted out to Shiv Senachief Bal Thackeray for his alleged role in the riots.

Mrs Gandhi8217;s speech at the function boycotted by the press after some photographers were roughed up by Congress workers, carried few references to the Sena-BJP Government in Maharashtra though she reiterated her stand on the supposed inappropriateness of the BJP-led government at the Centre to continue messing up things by remaining in power.

quot;The BJP-led coalition government is only interested in clinging to power and was not bothered about the economic well-being of the people,quot; Sonia said.

The government, she said, was taking the credit for making India a nuclear power but queried what had it done to improve the quality of life of common man, economic growth and law and order situation.

quot;The common man is today reeling under the pressure of soaring prices and was being deprived of basic facilities. The masses were treated like pawns in political battles, and the Vajpayee Government was more more interested in remaining in power rather thansolving the problems of people,quot; Sonia said, after felicitating two freedom fighters Ghulam Ali Karim Khan and Tulsidas Jadhav and poet Pradeep of Aye mere watan ke logo fame.

But the much awaited response on Thackeray8217;s indictment by the Srikrishna Commission was missing from her address.

So at her informal luncheon meet with industrialists and journalists, hosted by Brihanmumbai Regional Congress Committee president Murli Deora, reporters asked Sonia if she was for the arrest of Thackeray for his indictment by the Srikrishna Commission. quot;Not right now,quot; was her cryptic comment, with the rider that she had set up a three-member committee to study the report and the appropriate responses would be made later.

quot;Must have happened late last night,quot; said a flummoxed Scindia. An apologetic Maj Sawant said he had not been around in New Delhi for a while and might have missed the announcement. Dr Singh said a simple, quot;I don8217;t know.quot;

However, in response to charges that the Congress had been tepid inits reaction to Thackeray8217;s role in the riots and might once again be going soft on the Sena supremo, Maj Sawant said, quot;We have deliberately played it cool. We have not wished to precipitate a situation where they can charge us with vitiating the atmosphere. We did not wish for anything to mar Mrs Gandhi8217;s visit to Mumbai. Our campaign will gather momentum soon enough.quot;

But Thackeray8217;s breather from Sonia might be no breather at all. It is apparent that the Congress High Command has let loose a multi-pronged attack on the Sena-BJP in Maharashtra, with Pawar now taking the lead in demanding the dismissal of the government under Article 356 of the Constitution. Chhagan Bhujbal and Madhukarrao Pichad, the two Opposition leaders in the State Legislature, seem to believe their job is by and large done for the moment and the initiative is now with the Centre, though they will still keep the movement going by petitioning Governor Alexander on Tuesday for the dismissal of the Sena-BJP Government.

And if thisseems like running from Thackeray, AICC general secretaries point out that the demand for Thackeray8217;s arrest first came from Bhujbal. quot;Both of them have done a good job,quot; said Scindia.

So if the Congress is seemingly reluctant now to intensify the pressure against Thackeray, there appears to be method in their seeming scattiness. For Scindia was nosing around for information on how much or how little the Sena and Thackeray might be able to consolidate their Hindutva vote bank. Or if Thackeray is still capable of leading his troops like a veteran general, the crucial question being: Will his soldiers obey blindly or reason why.

If there is a breach in Thackeray8217;s defences on this score, the Congress will move in for the kill. Until then Sonia might continue to duck under the cover of the phantom committee.

Earlier, the Republican Party of India RPI general secretary Ramdas Athavale met Sonia and mooted an electoral alliance for assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Tripura.

Athavale,who spoke to Sonia during the luncheon meeting organised by the MRCC, said he had proposed his party8217;s alliance with the Congress on the pattern of the RPI-Congress tie up for the last Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra.

The RPI leader said Sonia had responded favourably and had suggested a joint meeting of both parties in New Delhi soon.