HVK Archives: Myths waiting to explode
Myths waiting to explode - The Observer
Dina Nath Mishra
()
27 November 1997
Title: Myths waiting to explode
Author: Dina Nath Mishra
Publication: The Observer
Date: November 27, 1997
Two mega myths are waiting to be exploded: First, that Sonia Gandhi wields commanding authority over the party of her husband and her mother-in-law as much as the latter. Her much-hallowed personality inspired even sheepish Congressmen to roar like a lion. She is perceived as the saviour of the Congress, as and when she decides to enter politics. During the last fortnight, half a dozen leaders of the Congress played the Sonia card successfully and compelled Congress president Sitaram Kesri to give ultim
tum to the UF government that Congress support would be withdrawn if it did not throw the DMK out of the government. It was believed by the Congress MPs that Sonia Gandhi wanted those guilty of the assassination of her husband Rajiv Gandhi to be punished, i.e. those who were named in Jain Commission interim Report.
Also, it was generally believed by Congress MPs that she had given word to her trusted leaders that in the eventuality of mid-term poll, she would campaign. Congress president Sitaram Kesri, aided by a few CWC members, piloted the anti-Sonia brigade strategy with the help of UF leader Inder Kumar Gujral. Gradually, this strategy seems to be succeeding.
The high voltage withdrawal campaign is waning. It seems that quite a few leaders who worked towards withdrawal of support have developed cold feet. If the Congress shamelessly succumbs to UF pressures and goes back on its own resolution, Sonia myth is bound to explode.
The second myth has been woven around the United Front assiduously by its architects that UF is a workable political construct and that anti-BJPism is a strong enough uniting factor to provide sustenance to the government as well as it can stop BJP's march to power and accomplishment of its mission. First, it hurriedly provided a Common Minimum Programme for the post-election alliance of 15 parties. It consisted of Leftists like CPM and CPI on the one hand and rightists like P Chidambaram. These contrad
ctory forces robbed UF of its vitality on economic and liberalisation front and rendered it almost stagnant. We have witnessed at least a dozen controversies during the last one and a half years. An umpteen number of Core Committee and Steering Committee meetings have ended in fiasco. Left leaders and Chidambaram had bitter statement wars.
UF has parties with regional outlook as well as all-India parties. It contains casteist forces like SP and JD on the one hand, and also parties mouthing class struggle. It has parties which virtually abhor inner party democracy and also has the parties which follow well-defined democratic practices. All this makes UF a heterogeneous structure, representing divergent views. This results in a piquant situation in Steering Committee and Core Committee meetings, for a few leaders can decide instantly and ot
ers need to go back to the party for seeking guidelines on any emerging problem.
This also hampers the speed of working of the UF. There are a number of parties in the UF for whom commitment does not matter. One recalls that despite the commitment of one-third reservation for women in legislatures in CMP, a number of parties went back on the promise.
UF has a couple of parties full of criminal cadres. Naturally, it cannot talk of the commitment regarding breaking the nexus between criminals and politicians and follow-up actions on Vohra Committee report as mentioned in CMP. The country has a gigantic backlog on all its economic and reform fronts. It needs 'maximum programme' and not the Common Minimum Programme which the UF offered. Unfortunately, even that much was not implemented.
The secular front, which comprises UF and its supporting party Congress, is a totally lopsided construct, wherein smaller parties wield greater power. Take, for example, the CPI. It has about 2 per cent of the votes and 12 MPs. Had it contested without an alliance, it would not have won even that many seats.
But it has enormous po
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