AICC meeting: Rahul Gandhi takes centre-stage, but where does the party go ?,Indian Politics, News Analysis, India News Online

The day-long meeting of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) held in New Delhi on Saturday, Nov. 17, as expected, saw Amethi MP and Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s son, Rahul Gandhi, take the centre-stage, but partymen as well as observers could not fathom if this meant any change in direction. With the completion of over two-thirds of the tenure of the Lok Sabha, which witnessed the Congress leading a coalition at the Centre for the first time, and with no immediate prospects of the party being able to secure power at the national level on its own, both Sonia Gandhi and other senior leaders like Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were expected to chart a new course for the party. But there was no sign of that at the Delhi AICC session. Of course, Sonia Gandhi tried to put the fear of God among Congressmen saying that “they better be grateful to the party for the ministerial positions they occupy.”

Sonia Gandhi said that those holding positions like Ministers, have a special responsibility towards the party. She said, “They must realise that they have been given a chance while there could be other equally competent partymen to serve in the same position.” Referring to inner-party squabbles, the Congress president expressed dismay that the people’s goodwill could not be translated into votes at many places because of internal conflicts. In this connection, she referred to Uttar Pradesh, the state from where both Rahul Gandhi and herself have been elected to the Lok Sabha. She said the party organisation has to be built from scratch in the state.

Putting chronic dissidents at notice, Sonia Gandhi said they should desist from going public with their differences, once the party has taken a stand on a policy or issue. She warned, “no one can go against the party’s views once it formulates its policy on a particular issue. No post or faction is bigger than the party.”

Usual rhetoric, no fresh thinking : Observers

Observers say that while both Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh paid complements to each other, there was no evidence of fresh thinking on how to overcome the problems faced by the UPA coalition headed by the party. So far as the nuclear deal is concerned, the party’s response to the obstructions created by the Left was to again assert that the deal was good for the country. Dr. Manmohan Singh, in his speech, again tried to allay fears that the nuclear deal with the United States will come in the way of the country’s strategic programme and erode its independent foreign policy.

Sonia Gandhi, observers say, played the perfect doubles partner with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the India-US nuclear deal and the government’s performance in the social sector. If she praised Dr. Singh for delivering on the party manifesto and the UPA’s Common Minimum Programme (CMP), the Prime Minister credited Sonia and Rahul for their passionate support of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme. Later, they patiently heard delegates on loopholes such as bureaucratic control and low daily wages under the NREGP.

There was no direct reference to Nandigram. Veteran leader Arjun Singh seemed to be voicing some skepticism when shortly after Rahul Gandhi talked about building a meritocratic organisation he said no line of discrimination should be drawn in the party if the commitment of the worker is the same. He also referred to Rahul’s campaign in UP where the party got a drubbing, adding that it should be the Congress’s collective responsibility to see that this did not happen elsewhere.

Senior leaders including Sonia Gandhi criticised the “stubbornly uncooperative” BJP, their main rival in the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh polls. “No words are strong enough to condemn their attacks on our PM and our party,” said Sonia.

But like the PM, she made no direct reference to Nandigram in her speech. The issue was dealt with in the omnibus political, economic and international resolution that termed the situation as “grave”, condemning the culture of violence and the cult of armed cadres.

“All this is the natural outcome of a system where the interests of party cadres are placed above the interests of the people and the law and order machinery is not allowed to function professionally,” it said.

The resolution also addressed another contentious issue involving the DMK, a key UPA ally whose chief M Karunanidhi recently condoled the death of a frontline leader of the LTTE. It said: “The LTTE, categorised internationally as a terrorist outfit, deliberately assassinated our beloved leader (Rajiv Gandhi) in a brutal manner. The sentiments of all Congressmen and women especially are bound to get hurt if the LTTE is eulogised in any manner.”

———————————Box———————-

Main points of AICC resolution

* Expresses concern over Nandigram events; condemns culture of violence

* Says Congress sentiments will be hurt if the LTTE is eulogised

* Condemns those behind Godhra riots; seeks accountability

* Condemns efforts to communalise foreign policy

* Says that anarchy and terrorism in Pakistan may affect India. Wishes a stable, peaceful and democratic Pakistan

* Wants the UPA to expand aid and relief to Palestine

* Worried that food security is under some stress

* Urges the Centre to keep vigil on essential commodities

* Calls for affirmative action in private sector

* Reaffirms commitment to reservation for women in Parliament

* Tells the Centre to shield the poor from rise in global prices of oil, foodgrains and pulses

* Asks the UPA government to unveil time-bound schedule for implementing Sachar Committee recommendations

—————————Box ends here———————

Rahul Gandhi calls for meritocracy in Congress

Speaking at the AICC session, seen by observers as his launch pad, Rahul Gandhi emphasised the need for turning the Congress into a meritocratic organisation where progress is linked to performance. Unveiling his vision of India, he said the Indian Youth Congress and the National Students Union of India should become the vehicles for young Indians who want to serve the country. Rahul Gandhi said the party needs to build an organisation that is open and relevant to the broad range of young Indians who believe in values and seek to serve the nation.

Also, there is a need to build a meritocratic organisation. “Young people bring tremendous passion and energy into our organisation.... It is our duty to ensure that their progress is linked to their performance,” he said.

Asserting that the only identity of Indians as far as he was concerned is their nationality - and not their religion or caste - Rahul said if there was anything that divided India it was opportunity. Of the view that it was access to opportunity which determined the fate of an individual and thereby divided the country into haves and have-nots, the newly appointed general secretary of the Congress, said pro-poor policies should not be seen as charity.

Rahul’s much awaited address was timed mid-session of the AICC amid repeated demands from the delegates. And, he was the only leader on stage - apart from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi - to be greeted with a giant tri-coloured garland.

Though Sonia Gandhi made no mention of Rahul Gandhi in her opening address, she did state in her closing remarks that “neither I nor Rahul wield a magic wand.” Rahul Gandhi did find mention in the Prime Minister’s speech. “I am confident that the young leaders of the Congress party like Rahul Gandhi can win the minds and affections of our youth and take the Congress party and the nation to new frontiers and new heights of glory.”

————————Box——————-

AICC session virtually a launch pad for Rahul

The posters outside the Talkatora Stadium said it all: Rajivji ke saare sapne, karenge poore Rahul apne (All of Rajiv Gandhi’s dreams will be fulfilled by our Rahul).

Huge banners, buntings and cutouts of Rahul Gandhi with father Rajiv in the silhouette were on display. Speeches climaxed with the crunch issue of the need to “pass on the baton” to the dynamic Rahul Gandhi so as to rejuvenate the party. The message was audible even to the deaf: This AICC session had been designed as a political launch pad for Rahul.

Sonia Gandhi herself referred to the need to vest party’s responsibilities with the new generation. Even the resolution adopted by the AICC welcomed the induction of Rahul Gandhi as AICC General Secretary.

——————————Box ends here————————

Sonia, Manmohan defend nuclear deal

Both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi in their speeches at the AICC session, strongly defended the India-US nuclear agreement and said that it would not hamper India’s strategic programme.

Departing from his written text in Hindi, Dr. Singh asserted in English that the “propaganda” being made that the nuclear deal would hurt India’s strategic programme was totally wrong. “The agreement concerns only the civil side of nuclear energy and will have no bearing on our strategic programme. It remains intact without international interference and won’t affect our sense of judgment on foreign policy.”

The Prime Minister said India was too big a country and the heritage of former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi in itself was a guarantee that nobody could bend it in any direction.

Sonia Gandhi admitted that there was difference of opinion with the United Progressive Alliance’s supporting parties on the nuclear deal and said that efforts were on to work out a consensus.

Backing the Prime Minister, Sonia Gandhi said the deal would facilitate India to access fuel and new technologies to fulfil its requirements in the energy sector. She reiterated that India was committed to a Universal Nuclear Disarmament, the Work Plan for which was outlined by Rajiv Gandhi in the U.N. General Assembly in 1988.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee who is the convener of the UPA-Left Committee on the nuclear deal, refuted the belief that India had given up its independent foreign policy and has tilted towards the United States. Referring to the 123 agreement, in his address at the AICC session, he said the agreement enables India to empower itself and gain access to technology without which the country cannot develop and aspire to become a super power.

Congress should not lose its political space

Congress president Sonia Gandhi said that the party could not lose its political space in trying to maintain a balance in coalition governance. The resolution adopted by the AICC specifically said that “such a coalition cannot be at the cost of revival of the Congress, particularly in the states where its base had eroded.”

While recognising the compulsions of coalition politics, the omnibus resolution said in the long term, there was no alternative to a revived Congress coming to power on its own. The resolution claimed that the Congress is the only political party that has a national vision and perspective. It is the only pan-Indian party that represents all sections of the country’s diverse society.

The resolution said the Congress has been functioning in a disciplined manner in a coalition and expressed the hope that the same spirit would be reciprocated by all its allies and partners. Appreciating the UPA allies and partners who are working with the Congress in giving a new dimension to the politics and economics of the country since May 2004, the resolution expressed confidence that the partnership would consolidate itself.

Sending a signal to the allies, Sonia Gandhi said that the Congress was committed to run the UPA, but coalition meant positive cooperation on the part of all parties. “Working in a coalition does not mean that we should cede our political space for ever. I admit in front of you that it is a balance, a political challenge. But it is my firm opinion that we have to take the Congress to its past heights,” she said.

Underlining this message — expected to be heard loud and clear for parties like the RJD, the DMK and the Left - Sonia Gandhi counted Bihar, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal as “the most difficult challenger” facing the Congress. “There (in these three states), we have no alternative other than forgetting our internal differences and standing on our own feet,” she said.

BJP obstructive : Sonia

Sonia Gandhi in her address criticised the BJP for what she called, “its obstructive politics.” In her opening remarks at the AICC session, she said, “No words are strong enough to condemn the BJP’s attacks on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Congress. We too were in the opposition and never reacted beyond reasonable limits and always strove to maintain the dignity and decorum of Parliament.”

Sonia Gandhi said Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals are under threat in our country. “They are under sustained assault in the state of his birth (Gujarat), and in other BJP-ruled states,” she said.

Sonia Gandhi indicated that general elections were not round the corner as was being speculated. She called upon partymen to be prepared for Assembly elections in 2008 and for the Lok Sabha polls in 2009.

Sonia Gandhi regretted that it has not been found possible to extend reservation for women in Parliament so far.

Keep prices in check : AICC

The AICC urged the government to keep the strictest possible vigil on the prices of essential commodities. The omnibus resolution passed by the AICC said that the government should explore and exhaust all options before passing on any additional oil price burden on consumers despite crude oil prices in the world market going up substantially.

The resolution said there has been moderation in the rate of inflation as measured by the wholesale price index, but said that what matters most was that high prices were being paid by the common man.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that the government had managed to keep inflation under control in the face of many difficulties. He said the Government would try to ensure that essential food items were available to the poor and the needy at a reasonable cost.

Cult of violence responsible for Nandigram incidents

The AICC resolution condemned what it called the culture of violence and the cult of armed cadres in West Bengal’s Nandigram area as also the 2002 Gujarat riots exposed by the media.

The resolution noted with concern the grave situation in Nandigram where, it said, the writ of the State government appeared to have ceased to run.

“All this is the natural outcome of a system where the interests of party cadres are placed above the interests of the people at large and the law and order machinery is not allowed to function properly.”

Expressing shock at the latest expose on the Gujarat riots by “an alert media,” the resolution said, “The well-documented details have outraged the conscience of every civilised person. It is the darkest chapter in post-Independence India, where all civilised norms of behaviour were thrown to the winds. What is most condemnable is that those who were responsible legally and constitutionally to protect the lives and property of peaceful citizens became the actual perpetrators of these atrocities.”

BJP criticises Sonia, Manmohan silence on Nandigram

Reacting to criticism by Dr. Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi at the AICC session, BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said this was meant to divert the people’s attention away from UPA’s failure. He said the Congress should worry about its own failures, rather than make critical comments about the BJP.

Ravi Shankar Prasad said the AICC should have been used by the Congress to introspect on its many failures and on the divisions within the UPA and its supporting partners. He talked about the Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi’s deafening silence on the Nandigram carnage.

Challenge to Congress in UP is from within : Rahul Gandhi

Earlier last week, Rahul Gandhi said in Lucknow on Nov. 12 that the problem in the Uttar Pradesh Congress lies within. Speaking to media persons after attending the party’s coordination meeting, he said, “our opposition is our inability to represent the people and connect with them. The rest of the political parties are not our opposition.

In his speech at the meeting, Rahul Gandhi said the Congress has failed to attract the youth in Uttar Pradesh. He said the party is now being rebuilt on the strength of the youth.

On Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party making inroads into the traditional votebank of the Congress, Rahul Gandhi said the does not believe in votebank politics. He said the only fear is the Congress inability to represent the larger sections of the people in Uttar Pradesh.

Rahul Gandhi denied reports that he wanted to stop the use of Khadi as a pre-requisite for party membership.

Sonia Gandhi rejects plan to declare her birthday as Girl Child Day

A proposal to declare December 9 as ‘National Girl Child Day’ has been quietly withdrawn after Congress chief Sonia Gandhi frowned upon the date that was chosen obviously because it happened to be her birthday.

Senior officials in the Women and Child Development Ministry had pushed for December 9 being declared the National Girl Child Day and though the link to Sonia was absent, naturally so, in the official communication, not many were in doubt as to why the proposal was being pursued with vigour.

Sources said Sonia Gandhi opposed the move as she immediately grasped both the intent and the fallout of the proposal. The draft note prepared by zealous officials in the WCD ministry had already got approval from 10 other ministries including those of Home, Finance, I&B, HRD and Culture.

A senior WSD ministry official said the proposal was now likely to be put in cold storage considering its political sensitivity after its association with the Congress chief’s name.

Congress gives 60 days to Jharkhand coalition to improve

The Congress has given a 60-day ultimatum to the Madhu Koda Government in Jharkhand to improve its governance. Congress support is keeping the Koda coalition in power.

Union Minister and in charge of Jharkhand Congress, Ajay Maken gave an 18-point memorandum to Chief Minister Madhu Koda in Ranchi on Nov. 15, demanding steps to improve the situation in the state hit by rampant corruption, worsening law and order and mismanagement of central funds. The Congress boycotted the Seventh Foundation Day ceremony of the state last week to convey its unhappiness with the state of affairs in Jharkhand.

Maken also led a warning procession from the Governor’s official residence. He was accompanied by four Lok Sabha MPs of the Congress including Union Minister Subodh Kant, a Lok Sabha MP from Ranchi, State Congress president Pradeep Balmuchu and others.

For the official celebrations, Koda had also invited Congress president Sonia Gandhi who refused to come.

India News Online » News Analysis » Indian Politics »