Its not Mamata

Her U-turn on Pranab underlines it: Congress can no longer use TMC as an alibi for indecision

Listen to this article

Its not Mamata

00:00

1x 1.5x 1.8x

Her U-turn on Pranab underlines it: Congress can no longer use TMC as an alibi for indecision

It is possible to argue that Mamata Banerjees U-turn on Pranab Mukherjee was foretold. She really did have limited options,given a host of factors ranging from Pranabdas Bengali-ness to the fact that she could ill-afford to vote on the same side as the BJP because of West Bengals significant Muslim vote. Arguably,she also needed to stay within the UPA to extract the much-needed financial package from the Centre. Whatever be the reasons that led up to her rethink on Mukherjee,there can be no doubt that the final trigger was the UPAs decision to call her bluff. The UPA may have reason to congratulate itself in this moment. From a position where it seemed that the presidential election could turn out to be a precarious test of its numbers,it appears to be now sitting pretty,having not only rallied all its allies behind its candidate,but also drawn in outside support from the BSP and SP and from NDA partners Shiv Sena and JDU. Yet,unless it draws the right lessons from the just-concluded episode,its present comforts will prove to be fragile .

Vis-a-vis Banerjee,the UPA has been guilty of,first,not talking enough and then letting her prolong the argument beyond a reasonable point. Most Congress allies rightly complain that the party does not talk to them before taking consequential decisions. Many of the logjams on crucial policy issues like FDI in retail may have been prevented from turning into a dialogue of the deaf if the Congress had reached out to friends and allies,and even political opponents,earlier. Yet,especially with Banerjee,it is also true that after making the first mistake of not engaging her enough,the Congress then allowed her to obstruct a slew of reform measures. This is because,in many cases,Banerjees apparent obstinacy was being used by sections of the Congress to cover up its own lack of conviction.

If this government is to turn around the negative story so far,in the two years left in its tenure,it must remember this: in the end,it cannot credibly blame it on the allies not even on Banerjee. Her capitulation on Mukherjees candidature has shown that if the Congress demonstrates clarity and stands its ground,it will,more often than not,prevail. On issues that matter,the Congress will have to interrogate its own indecision,or lack of coherence and belief. It cannot hide behind the real or presumed recalcitrance of its allies.