2 June 2003

CONG RUN FOR COALITION RAISES MANY QUESTIONS

From Jal Khambata

NEW DELHI: The coalition politics brings strange bed-fellows together, even those you hated till yesterday and that is exactly the dilemma in which the Congress has fallen from its President Sonia Gandhi's sudden declaration from Srinagar to go for coalition, both at the Centre and in the states.

Congress spokesman Anand Sharma was hard put at the AICC Press briefing on Monday answering to all sorts of questions that the Congress love for coalition has thrown up.

Will you court with Kalyan Singh, the former BJP chief minister during whose tenure the Babri Mosque was demolished? He managed to duck the question, pointing out that Sonia Gandhi had approved the coalition in Uttar Pradesh to overthrow the BSP-BJP Government but those whom she met so far in this regard do not include Kalyan Singh.

"The Congress President has talked to only two leaders -- Mulayam Singh Yadav of Samajwadi Party and Ajit Singh of the Rashtriya Lok Dal," Anand sought to stress.

But still more ticklish question in store for him was whether the Congress has agreed to make Mulayam the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. He tried to plead that it is a hypothetical question. "Let the government first fall," he stressed and then went on to plead that he was nobody to announce the name of the chief minister as it is a "prerogative of the gathbandhan (coalition)" that will take the reins.

Reporters persisted with questions on Mulayam as they pointed out that he would have been in saddle after the last Assembly elections but for the Congress ditching him and that made Anand uncomfortable. When asked pointedly whether the Congress will lead the coalition in Uttar Pradesh, Anand seized the opportunity, pointing out that obviously the mantle will go to the Samajwadi Party since it would be the largest party in the coalition.

And what about the Centre? Who will lead the coalition? Quick came reply from Anand: Of course, the Congress is the largest party in Parliament and so it will form the government. There were many questions on whether the Congress will accept Mulayam or somebody else from the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh but nobody asked who will be the prime minister as it is all obvious: It has to be none else but Sonia Gandhi.

Anand also sought to clarify that Sonia Gandhi had not suddenly jumped to the coalition dream. He was asked whether she can decide on her own such an important issue by making the sudden and surprise announcement in Srinagar without consulting the Congress Working Committee or AICC?

Pat came reply that she was not making any new announcement. The need for coalition, wherever necessary, was stressed even in the Bangalore AICC's political resolution. Anand said all that Sonia Gandhi has said is that "we are open to a coalition to root out the BJP-led NDA government." He said Sonia Gandhi had to speak out in favour of coalition only because Uttar Pradesh is in headlines.

Her sudden switch to coalition has, however, rattled those in the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party whose president M Venkaiah Naidu tried to be sarcastic in commenting on Monday that he was "happy that at least, she has realised the reality of the necessity of a coalition." He said it only signifies that the Congress has lost the confidence that it can ever come to power on its own and that it too has to accept the coalition era has come to stay.

Naidu, however, had a dig at the Congress to spell out what kind of coalition it envisages at the Centre. The BJP is committed to pre-poll alliance and coalition as demonstrated by adoption of a common agenda of NDA (National Democratic Alliance) in the last elections while the Congress is still to spell out whether it will go for pre-poll or post-poll coalition.

Is Sonia Gandhi talking of "Kolkata me kushti aur Delhi me dosti (fight in West Bengal and be friend in Delhi" or will she have electoral alliance with the Communists, Naidu asked. Everyone knows who will be leader of the coalition the Congress is aiming at and yet Naidu did not resist from asking: Who will be the leader of the coalition? He said it would be better for those joining hands with the Congress to seek clarifications on all issues lest there is a national disaster later. The choice is, however, theirs, he added.

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