The Hindu : New Delhi News : Sheila, Ram Babu to break the ice

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 16, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Sheila, Ram Babu to break the ice

By Sujay Mehdudia

NEW DELHI, DEC 15. In a significant development, the Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, and the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president, Ram Babu Sharma, are meeting tomorrow, hours before the beginning of the winter session of the Delhi Assembly, to discuss matters pertaining to proposed trifurcation of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, chalk out a strategy to deal with the expected Opposition onslaught and try to put an end to the cold war within the Delhi Congress.

It is learnt that the Chief Minister has taken the initiative for the meeting in a bid to break the ice and remove the impression that the Delhi Government and the ruling party leadership lacked coordination and were pulling in different directions. The meeting assumes significance in view of the reported differences that have cropped up between the Government and the party over the break-up of the Congress-ruled MCD and also the decision of the Sheila Dikshit Government to go ahead with the imposition of professional tax and hike in the water tariffs for all categories of consumers. Then there is also the issue of reconstitution of various Boards and Corporations where political posts have fallen vacant and there is an urgent need to fill up these positions. Interestingly, the Chief Minister had also recently held a function at her residence to felicitate Mr. Sharma indicating that both had arrived at some kind of "understanding" on handling various important matters within the party and the Government.

Insiders informed that the Chief Minister is likely to discuss with Mr. Sharma the break-up of MCD and the need to set in motion the process so that all formalities are completed during the next few months. It is a well-known fact that Mr. Sharma is strongly opposed to the trifurcation of the Corporation and was the lone voice, which had opposed any such move at the meeting of the Congress Legislature Party, held on the issue some time ago. In fact, Mr. Sharma has been leading the band of Councillors who are opposed to the move to break-up the Corporation fearing that such an action would reduce their hold and power in the scheme of things. It is understood that Ms. Dikshit purposes to impress upon Mr. Sharma that the break-up of the Corporation was incorporated in the party manifesto and a promise in this respect was made by the party during the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls.

The Chief Minister is reportedly of the view that the time had come to fulfil this promise in order to make the Corporation manageable to provide the people of Delhi with good governance and efficient civic amenities. It is also learnt that the ruling party is preparing ground to introduce and get passed a Private Members resolution during the Assembly session seeking the break-up of the Corporation into smaller bodies. This move is likely to put Mr. Sharma on the back foot, as it would expose the fact before the party leadership that he does not have any hold in the Congress Legislature Party.

On the other hand, Mr. Sharma is also likely to rake up with the issue of hike in the water charges for all categories of consumers that has drawn adverse reaction from the people at large. Mr. Sharma is also likely to impress upon the Chief Minister the need to consult the party before taking decisions on important matters as it is the party and its cadres who have to explain every decision and action of the Government to the electorate. Ever since Mr. Sharma, a known Sheila Dikshit opponent, has taken over as the DPCC president, the gulf between the party and the Government has widened. The politics of oneupmanship are once again on within the Congress party. Both sides are leaving no stone unturned to show each other in poor light reviving back the bad memories of the dissident movement nearly three years ago.

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