The Hindu : Congress fails to gain the upper hand

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 24, 2002

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Congress fails to gain the upper hand

By Sujay Mehdudia

NEW DELHI DEC. 23. While a rejuvenated Delhi BJP is going ahead with its "people's agenda'' to win over the electorate, the Congress seems to be lagging far behind. The Delhi Congress, a house divided, has failed to corner the BJP and its Central Government on various issues including the alleged housing scam in Delhi Development Authority, amendments to the Transaction of Business Rules, the Metro Rail controversy, or the demands concerning relocation of polluting industries.

There is little doubt that the BJP under the leadership of its local chief, Madan Lal Khurana, has been able to work on a populist agenda and could even end up winning the confidence of the people over the next few months. But what many observers find astonishing is the laid-back approach of the Congress party in overlooking important issues which could prove costly. Be it the ongoing strike by autorickshaw drivers, the Rs. 300-crore housing scam in DDA, the controversy over Metro Rail or the Transaction of Business Rules, the party has been found wanting on all fronts. It has lost an opportunity to embarrass the BJP and its Government at the Centre and gain an upper hand.

Party insiders confide that continued divisions within the party resulting in various factions pulling in different directions have affected the performance of the party and the Delhi Government. The local leaders have been far too engrossed trying to impress the Central leaders by staying put in Gujarat for days together -- so much that they seem to have forgotten the local issues and the problems of the people here. "All the Delhi leaders, Ministers and MLAs were out in Gujarat to keep the AICC general secretary in charge of Delhi, Kamal Nath, in good humour. The who's who of the Congress took off for Gujarat without any major role to play there leaving the field open for BJP in Delhi,'' remarked a senior party leader.

In fact, the Congress reluctance to take a stand on the autorickshaw strike and go with its Government and commuters could offend Delhiites who are harassed by the autorickshaw operators day in and day out. Similarly, the party's silence on the Metro Rail controversy and its failure to raise the issue of the Union Urban Development Ministry not inviting the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sonia Gandhi, for the inaugural run on December 24 is intriguing. It was only after the Chief Minister put her foot down that Ms.Gandhi was invited.

But the problem is not limited to factionalism and failure to raise certain important issues concerning people; it is far more complicated. During the campaign for the MCD elections, the Delhi Congress leaders including Mr. Kamal Nath talked little about the achievements of their own government but more about the BJP and what dramatic change they would bring about in MCD. All this is important, but what is more so is that the party should believe in the achievements of its own government in Delhi and then only can it reach out to the people.

The campaign to highlight the achievements of the Congress Government becomes all the more important when Ms. Sonia Gandhi herself during the last three assessments has expressed satisfaction with the working of the Sheila Dikshit Government.

"Who is going to believe the tall claims of the Congress Government when its own party does not seem to be convinced about the same? The high command has to step in and set its house in order in Delhi by making everyone fall in line and ensure that the Congress speaks in one voice,'' a senior Minister said.

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