NEW DELHI, July 8: In an important decision, Congress president Sitaram Kesri has granted the party's state units freedom to chart their own individual political courses subject to just one condition: that they do not ally with the Bharatiya Janata Party at any cost.

``Each state unit will have to devise its own political strategy depending on local conditions. The strategy must be based on the Congress ideology and manifesto,'' Kesri told 18 leaders of Congress Legislature Parties (CLPs) across the country yesterday. This is an important admission that the party high command is no longer able to send across a central policy line for the entire country.

It also gives Kesri the space to breathe freely on the Bihar front where the Congress has thus far not been able to take a stance on state Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav's immediate future. Laloo's refusal to quit his post after being chargesheeted in the fodder scam case has put the Congress in a bind.

After having said once that Laloo must quit in the best traditions of democracy, the Congress is now waiting for the United Front to take a line on this issue. Congress sources said privately Kesri has told Laloo to quit and get his nominee to replace him as Bihar Chief Minister in a couple of conversations over the last few days.

Kesri is also said to have advised Laloo to show some restraint in the current atmosphere and bide his time. Apparently, Kesri pointed out that Laloo is president of his own party anyway and will thus have an important role to play in the country's politics in the era of coalitions. Kesri is also said to have promised Laloo support in the majority test in the Bihar Assembly provided he steps down and allows the Congress a chance to back the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

Some Congress leaders say that the Bihar developments forced Kesri to allow other Congress state units freedom to toe their own line. It is an important shift in the Congress strategy and makes the party more flexible in the matter of choosing poll allies.

For example, the Congress first joined hands with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Uttar Pradesh and was later embarrassed when BSP chief Kanshi Ram dumped the Congress for the BJP.

Since situations of this kind are on the rise, the Congress chief feels that separate alliances for various states might help the Congress. Apparently, the idea is to try and be the main party opposed to the BJP and then have constituents of the United Front backing the Congress in the next bid for power.

The new freedom granted to state party units also probably closes the debate on the possibility of the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) merging with the Congress.

This was talked about for a few weeks during the political crisis when the Gowda government fell but now it is almost certain that this may not occur.Currently, Tamil Nadu is the only state where the Congress does not have a single MLA or an MP the only time this has happened since Independence. This was the result of the Congress high command forcing an alliance of the Congress with the AIADMK despite the reservations of local leaders.With the new political line, the likelihood of such a political disaster recurring may be diminished.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.