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Congress divided on opposing President's rule

Amberish K Diwanji in New Delhi

The Congress is divided on the leadership's volte-face on the imposition of President's rule in Bihar, with some senior party politicians strongly opposing Sonia Gandhi's decision to oppose the dismissal of the Rabri Devi government.

Party sources said Congress Working Committee member Rajesh Pilot, who is touring South India, and Sharad Pawar, leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, are against Gandhi's move.

Both politicians have, however, not yet openly opposed the move to vote against the imposition of President's rule in Bihar.

The fear is that by changing its stand, the Congress has opened itself to the charge of double standards.

Yet, it appears that the compulsions of realpolitik forced Gandhi to change course midstream. On the one hand there is the fear that by supporting the government's motion, the party might be seen to be siding with the Bharatiya Janata Party, but opposing the move is likely to hurt the party in Bihar, especially among the dalits.

The Bihar unit of the Congress has already denounced the central leadership's move to oppose the motion. State Congress politicians have said that by doing so, the leadership is destroying the party in the state.

The Congress is also worried about Vajpayee's threat to resign rather than submit to political blackmail. Vajpayee was referring to the reported opposition of some allies of the BJP, notably the Telugu Desam Party and the Shiromani Akali Dal, to the imposition of President's rule in Bihar. Both, however, have since changed their minds.

While the Congress has put up a brave front, saying it is ready to shoulder its constitutional responsibility if the government falls, it is actually worried about cobbling together an alternative coalition, having only 142 members in the Lok Sabha. Gandhi has in the past said categorically that the party will not take the support of allies to form a government.

"By openly stating that his government would resign, Vajpayee has put the Congress on the defensive," the party sources said. "It was a very good move on his part because it has once again given the BJP the initiative and scared his allies into supporting him."

The sources said the Congress realises that putting a government together will be extremely difficult. "The fact is that the leadership really does not want to form a government while the members of Parliament do not want elections right away. The party is thus caught in a cleft," they said.

The Congress also appears chary of a resurgent BJP. Following Vajpayee's successful visit to Lahore, the ruling party is on a high whereas the Congress conclave in Hardwar, which Gandhi had attended in a bid to regain the confidence of the voters of Uttar Pradesh, was not as successful as had been hoped for.

But a Congress office-bearer denied any link. "What has dalit massacres got to do with Vajpayee's visit to Lahore," he asked. "Our party is against any arbitrary use of Article 356. If the Centre really wants to dismiss governments on the basis of law and order, it should start with Gujarat and Maharashtra."

Seeking to clarify Gandhi's changed position, he said the Congress wanted Rabri Devi to resign following the Narayanpur massacre, but was against the government's dismissal.

The motion will be tabled in the Lok Sabha on Friday, where it is now certain to be passed. But in the Rajya Sabha, the Congress and various other parties form the majority, and unless some of them back the motion, it cannot be passed.

But now, with the division within the Congress and the BJP and its allies sticking together, which path Sonia Gandhi chooses, her party is likely to be the loser.

The Bihar state page

RELATED COLUMN:
Sonia stands to lose quite a bit

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