Now, ex-Gujarat CM raises banner of revolt against Sonia

Now, ex-Gujarat CM raises banner of revolt against Sonia
SANJIV SINHA

NEW DELHI, MARCH 25: After Sharad Pawar, P A Sangma, Meira Kumar and Matang Singh, it is now the turn of former Gujarat Chief Minister and veteran Congressman Chabildas Mehta to ask party chief Sonia Gandhi to withdraw from the race for prime ministership to bring about the unity of secular-minded parties.

In a four-page letter to Gandhi Saturday, Mehta has asserted that he was constrained to ``draw your attention to the present situation in the party after the defeat in Orissa, Haryana and Bihar.''

The former Chief Minister, once a political heavyweight in Gujarat and now an All India Congress Committee member, said in the present political situation where the centre of power is in the hands of provincial parties like the Telugu Desam Party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Biju Janata Dal, it was clear the Congress would not be able to come to power on its own. ``Time has proved that the decision of the Pachmarhi (Declaration) was not correct and that the political situation has so developed (sic) that no single party can form the government (at the Centre),'' he said.

Mehta added: ``The Congress president should declare that she will continue as party president but support the candidature of the party or any other consensus candidate for the Central Government... This, I think, will be a very major political decision which will send the right signals to all political parties who want to unite to fight the communal forces and the government.''

Mehta's criticism comes in the wake of a fair amount of disgruntlement within the party over the manner in which it is being run under Gandhi. The discontent has risen after the exit of some senior leaders, the party's poor performance in the recent Assembly elections and the nominations to the Rajya Sabha which saw the entry of relative newcomers and many senior leaders biting the dust.

Interestingly, the tone of his letter is similar to attacks made on Sonia's leadership by other senior leaders from within and outside the party. Party insiders, however, say the attack on Gandhi is more a result of the churning within the party caused primarily by its difficulty in accepting that it is confined to the role of a serious and long-term Opposition party.

Mehta also hinted at Gandhi's failure to lead the party and suggested that she should hand over the ``party organisation at the headquarter-level to some leader who is more approachable and has a rapport with the masses.'' He added: ``I think that this will be a very major political change which will strengthen the secular forces in the country.''

Mehta's letter, copies of which have been sent to all the Congress Working Committee (CWC) members, also makes a veiled attack on the coterie surrounding Sonia. ``It is a million-dollar question whether the people surrounding you will be able to deliver the goods... it is a question which has arisen in the minds of Congress workers throughout the country...''

Recalling that he had made similar suggestions when he met Gandhi when she took over as party chief in May 1998, he asserted that the ``lack of organisation'' and the resultant poor performance in last year's Lok Sabha elections had made it clear that the party cannot go it alone anymore.``I think that this is a political reality and so the party should think of a coalition (government) and take the support of like-minded parties to oust the communal forces,'' he said.