ELECTIONS '98
COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ARCHIVES

Sonia aides tell her to wield the carrot-and-stick

Congress president Sonia Gandhi's inner circle of political aides have urged her to use the carrot-and-stick policy on outspoken partymen in order to mute the criticism over the leadership's failure to topple the Bharatiya Janata Party-led ruling coalition.

A former party MP, close to both Gandhi and her late husband Rajiv, who could not win the last parliamentary election, told this correspondent that the party leadership had taken cognisance of the recent criticism emanating from the likes of former party chiefs Sitaram Kesri and P V Narasimha Rao. Kesri, in a recent television interview, had criticised the party chief for her alleged failure to depose Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee when the opportunity was ripe.

The Gandhi aide said the party leadership had noted Kesri's statement. He also pointed out that the Narasimha Rao camp had indicated that it was not satisfied with Congress affairs under Gandhi's dispensation and that the party's brainstorming session at Pacchmarhi in Madhya Pradesh beginning on September 4 was an apt occasion to articulate what was wrong in the party.

It is understood that while Kesri is still reportedly indisposed and not in a condition to attend the session, his followers are said to be keen to attend it so that they can put things in perspective.

Asked to comment on Kesri's statement regarding the party leadership's failure to topple the BJP-led ruling coalition, the afore-quoted Congress leader said the former party chief's remarks were unwarranted. He explained that the Congress leadership did not want to create a political vacuum by topping the central government at the present juncture when no party was ready to form an alternative government. He said as underscored by Gandhi, she did not think time was ripe to pull down the BJP-led government. However, if it collapsed under the weight of its inherent contradictions, the party would not shirk its responsibility.

The Congress MP pointed out that it was the party leadership's experience that Congressmen often gave vent to their critical outpourings on television. However, when face to face with Gandhi, they forget and even deny such statements and go out of their way to emphasise their loyalty to her, it was pointed out.

It is understood that Devendra Dwivedi, former party general secretary and a Narasimha Rao follower, has written a 130-page critique of what is wrong with the Congress. While it is being talked about in Congress circles, it was pointed out that he was not even invited to the brain-storming session.

Arjun Singh, it is learnt, has had a lot of say regarding who is to be invited for the session. Singh, significantly, had clashed with both Kesri and Rao during their respective tenure as party chiefs. Consequently, he will play a leading role in denying both men an extensive opportunity during the Pacchmarhi session to voice their grievances against Gandhi.

Tell us what you think of this report