Author: Diptosh Majumdar
Publication: IBNLive.com
Date: August 3, 2008
URL: http://www.ibnlive.com/news/whose-upa-98-letters-show-sonias-the-boss/70334-3.html?
In a startling revelation, CNN-IBN has in
its possession, 98 letters of historic significance that show how there was
a dual power centre in the UPA regime.
In response to an RTI application filed by
CNN-IBN, the Prime Minister's Office revealed how in the first four years
of the UPA rule, Sonia Gandhi wrote and forwarded 98 letters to the Prime
Minister and in 90 per cent of the cases, her requests were immediately acted
upon.
Congress members however, brush off any allegations
of dual power.
Congress Spokesperson, Manish Tiwar says,
"Essentially, it reflects the seamless relationship which is there between
the Chairperson of the UPA and the Prime Minister. I don't think there is
any duality involved. The role of the Congress President as Chairperson of
the UPA is to keep the political unit UPA cohesive."
The findings, however, also indicate the diminishing
influence of Sonia Gandhi.
In the seven months after UPA came to power
in May 2004, Sonia Gandhi sent 25 letters to Manmohan Singh. The number rose
to 34 in 2005, fell marginally to 25 letters in 2006 but slumped to a mere
eight letters in 2007. In 2008, Sonia Gandhi has sent just six letters to
the Prime Minister's Office.
The letters show that it's not always the
social sector that Sonia Gandhi is interested in. As the chairperson of the
National Advisory Council, she was doing quite a bit of backseat driving when
it came to her pet projects like NREGA and the Ganga Action Plan.
However, she also did try to influence policy
on:
* Action for disaster management (letter written
on 30.12.2004, PM forwarded letter to Ministry of Home Affairs)
* Financial implications of recommendations
of the 2005-06 Budget (letter written 14.1.2005, PM forwardeded letter to
Finance Minister)
* National Rehabilitation Policy (letter written
on 30.5.2006, PM wrote a letter to the Ministry of Rural Development)
* Walmart's proposed entry into India (letter
written on 11.1.2007, PM referred the letter to Department of Industrial Policy)
* Communal Crimes Bill, 2008 (letter written
on 9.2.2008, PM forwarded the letter to Home Ministry)
Congress Spokesperson, Veerappa Moily admits
the the day-to-day intervention is not done, but then hastily admits this
is something which is not being done.
There has never been any doubt that the Government
doesn't run from the Prime Minister's Office. Dr Manmohan Singh may be holding
the gun, but it's Sonia Gandhi who pulls the trigger. The 98 letters bear
testimony to the real power she enjoys.
(With inputs from Deepa Balakrishnan in Bangalore
and Pallavi Ghosh in New Delhi)
