Congress to discuss alliances at Jaipur session

As the countdown begins for the general elections scheduled for mid-2014, the Congress will use the chintan shivir , starting on January 18, to introspect on its current political alliances and ponder over whether it needs to enter into some new arrangements as well. The last three-and-a-half years of the current Congress-led UPA government have seen it tumbling from one crisis to the next, with public anger mounting against it for reasons ranging from corruption in high places to spiralling prices to poor law and order situation. Indeed, the discussion paper on socio-economic challenges makes note of the public’s growing disconnect with the governing class, especially among the urban middle class, a section that substantially backed the Congress in 2009.

So, even though the Congress is instinctively anti-alliance and its leaders often talk nostalgically of “one-party stability”, in Jaipur, the principle of coalition politics that it adopted at the Shimla chintan shivir in 2003 will not only be endorsed but, party sources said, the possibility of taking on fresh partners in Bihar (Rashtriya Janata Dal and Lok Janshakti Party), Jharkhand (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha) and Karnataka (Janata Dal-S) will be discussed. While it looks almost certain that the Congress will come to an electoral understanding with the RJD and the LJP in Bihar, there is still a question mark over the other two.

If the Congress’ conference in Surajkund last month was billed as a dialogue between the party and government, at Jaipur the “future course of action of the party” will be mapped out, Congress media chairperson and general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said. The draft Jaipur Declaration that will emerge from the

chintan shivir will then be placed before the Congress Working Committee, after which the AICC will discuss and adopt it as well, including any amendments if necessary.

Andhra Pradesh, too, party sources said, will be in focus with the government set to make an announcement on its future, though after the Jaipur conference is over. In 2009, Andhra Pradesh contributed 33 seats to the party kitty; this time round, with the State divided between pro- and anti-Telangana proponents, and the departure of Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, the Congress will be lucky to win a fraction of those constituencies. With Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde having said that a decision on the future of Andhra Pradesh would be taken before the end of January, the discussions in Jaipur would give the government a better sense of the thinking in the party.

As things stand, the possibility that a new State of Telangana will be created is still on the table, senior party sources said. Whether this means a full-fledged State or an autonomous region is not known yet, as also whether Hyderabad will be made the joint capital of both States, if Andhra Pradesh is divided. This will also be discussed in the context of the demand from other States for further division.

The agenda

While Congress President Sonia Gandhi will make the opening speech at the chintan shivir before the delegates break into groups to discuss the five subjects under review — political challenges, socio-economic challenges, organisation strengths, foreign policy and women’s empowerment — Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi will address the AICC session.

The party’s three top leaders, Mr. Dwivedi said, will join all five subgroups during their deliberations, arising from the discussion papers that have been written.

The standoff with Pakistan is likely to dominate the discussion on foreign policy: interestingly, former External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, who was to head the group, has opted out and it is Union Commerce Minister Anand Sharma who is now heading this group.

Mr. Dwivedi emphasised that the discussion papers did not represent the settled views of the party — that would only emerge after the chintan shivir .