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Congress gets ready for the kill

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday initiated formal talks within the party and with leaders of other parties to chalk out a water-tight strategy to cobble together the next government at the Centre if the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government falls thanks to the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam pulling out.

Sonia met a number of senior party leaders in an effort to evolve the Congress's strategy in the event of AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalitha withdrawing support to the Vajpayee government on the Cauvery waters issue.

"The Congress is ready to form the next government at the Centre if the Vajpayee government collapses under the weight of its own contradictions," senior leader and Congress Working Committee member Arjun Singh told Rediff On The Net.

He said ideally, the party would have waited for at least four to six months more before planning a Congress-led coalition at the Centre. "But the Vajpayee government has been shaky with every passing day and we feel that the Congress has the political responsibility to give a credible government at the Centre," Singh said.

Warning that the days of the Vajpayee government are numbered, Singh said, "It is immaterial whether Jayalalitha withdraws support tomorrow or not. But we are sure that with many of the BJP coalition partners warring over one thing or the other, there is not much life left in the Vajpayee government," the Congress leader added.

In an attempt to step up the momentum as Jayalalitha's deadline nears, Sonia on Wednesday met senior party leaders including Singh, Natwar Singh, Dr Manmohan Singh and Kotla Vijayabhaskara Reddy who apprised her on how the party should handle its alliance plans for a government.

Congress sources said Sonia will soon meet the Rashtriya Loktantrik Morcha leaders Mulayam Singh Yadav and Laloo Prasad Yadav who have been in the forefront of an oust-Vajpayee campaign for the past two months now.

The Congress is hopeful that apart from the AIADMK and its allies, Mamata Banerjee's Trinamul Congress might align with a Congress coalition. The party also hopes that the Samata Party and the Biju Janata Dal would split, with their factions joining the Congress.

An All India Congress Committee secretary said now that Jayalalitha, with 27 members of Parliament, is on the verge of severing her ties with the BJP, Sonia Gandhi will not hesitate to experiment with a coalition.

"We are now certain that the Left parties will support such a coalition. We are forced by all anti-BJP parties to form the government and there is no other option left before us," he told Rediff On The Net.

The Left parties' decision to support a Congress coalition from the outside follows its keenness to dislodge the BJP government immediately, and a senior Left leader had even met Sonia recently with the promise of outside support.

Congress leaders feel that will not certainly recommend dissolution of the Lok Sabha once his government falls. Although the party leadership foresees a mid-term election by the end of this year even if a Congress-led coalition comes to power, Congress strategists believe being in power would make a crucial difference during the polls.

A major factor that has influenced the Congress's thinking to go for government formation is the forthcoming assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi.

While the Congress strategists are making vital plans for a post-Vajpayee phase, the question that is troubling the party leadership is the choice of the party's prime ministerial candidate.

The Congress's Lok Sabha leader Sharad Pawar is persona non grata before Sonia as a section of senior party leaders are dead against the Maharashtra leader as prime ministerial candidate.

Sonia is said to be willing to entrust the top job to a senior leader like former finance minister Dr Manmohan Singh. But many believe the choice will narrow down to Sonia herself as nearly all senior leaders across the country are unanimous on her candidature.

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