Woman power disarms Kesri; exposes him to Cong vultures

Sonia took the unprecedented step of intervening in what is a factional fight in the Congress, something she has studiously avoided over the years.

She called Mamata for talks and urged her not to split the party or divide the votes of the Congress in West Bengal which is otherwise poised to do well this time and may even up its tally to 20 seats.

In an attempt to play the role of bridge-builder, Sonia allowed Mamata to vent her spleen at Kesri and later met WBPCC chief Somen Mitra. She urged both to preserve the unity of the Congress.

Sonia’s influence in the Congress however has been on the wane in recent weeks. Congress MPs chose to take a tough line on the ouster of the DMK from the United Front in the belief that Sonia Gandhi would campaign for the party.

They are not so sure any more, even as the Jain Report has catapulted the country towards an election. Many privately believe that if the widow of Rajiv Gandhi won’t come to the rescue of the party on a significant issue like her husband’s assassination, she can hardly be expected to come out on any other issue.

Sonia therefore had to do something to re-establish her relevance, which made her seize the Mamata issue. It might have gone against her if, in spite of her advice, Mamata had gone ahead and chosen to ally with the BJP, with the Somen Mitra-Pranab Mukherji camp persisting with its hard line.

For she had been exposed when the Tiwari Congress had split despite her efforts to prevent it at the last moment.

However, it is the Jayalalitha bombshell that really shook Kesri. He is already being criticised for botching the talks with the AIDMK. And now if Mamata goes it alone or with the BJP, it would mean serious trouble for the Congress, more for Chacha; it could bring out the knives in the CWC. Kesri even called Somen Mitra late last night to tell him he “would have to do something” and find a way out; in other words, he may not be able to stick to his old position.

The emergence of the Trinamool Congress is being seen as the result of an attempt by the Congress high command to sideline Mamata — the only one capable of claiming a mass following in the party elections earlier this year.

Rajiv Gandhi’s widow swung into action once again last night when Ajit Panja, aligned to Mamata, apprised Sonia of what WBPCC chief Somen Mitra had told TV channels — that Mamata could leave the party if she wanted to.

Things worsened last night after Jayalalitha swung the BJP way. The decision has left the Congress high and dry in Tamil Nadu, with former Congress MPs now contemplating a tie-up with either of the Dravidian parties. The Congress is left with virtually nothing in the kitty with G K Moopanar deciding to go with the DMK again and Vazapadhi Ramamurthy breaking with the Congress to join hands with Jayalalitha.

As a result, the BJP has gained a tremendous psychological boost and is now all set to go with its own United Front comprising the Akali Dal in Punjab, the Haryana Vikas Party, the Samata Party in Bihar, the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, the Biju Janata Dal in Orissa and the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu. In all probability, Ramakrishna Hegde’s Lok Shakti will tie up with the BJP in Karnataka.

Jayalalitha is believed to have offered only two seats to the Congress. Her reasons for aligning with the BJP may have more to do with buying protection for herself and blocking any post-poll BJP-DMK alliance and less with seeking an accretion in its votes. The decision may cost her the votes of the minorities and the support of the Gopalasamy-led MDMK, which has an alliance with the ADMK but which is not likely to lump the BJP alliance. The MDMK accounted for around five per cent of the popular votes in the last elections. The AIADMK’s decision has in one stroke signalled to the country the BJP’s increasing chances of forming a government at the Centre.