NEW DELHI, January 23: The Congress high command yet again failed to resolve the contentious issue of granting former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao a ticket, with Orissa Chief Minister and CWC member J B Patnaik forcing deferment of the matter in the CEC meetings yesterday and today.Patnaik is said to have strongly backed Rao's case saying he must be given a ticket as he is not yet proved guilty in any of the cases against him. Patnaik is believed to have debunked the theory of barring charge-sheeted people from contesting saying this was not practised evenly.
According to senior Congress leaders, Patnaik stalled a decision in yesterday evening's two-and-a-half hour meeting and this afternoon's one hour sitting as well. With the result that the party merely released a third list of 49 candidates, from Tamil Nadu, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Pondicherry, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, Himachal Pradesh (the lone seat left) and five from Orissa. Berhampur, which Rao represented in the last Lok Sabha,
was omitted from the Orissa list today as was Rajasthan which was released some days ago and then withdrawn.
Rao has already taken a philosophical stand on his fate saying politics these days has become a game of snake and ladders where the snakes are always waiting under a ladder. This is the first time that a CWC member has taken such a strong line in support of Rao in the CEC thus indicating the extent to which the party is divided on the issue. It appears now that Rao's fate may be decided by Sonia Gandhi ultimately. Rao has already sung paeans to Sonia soon after she announced her decision to plunge into active politics. Slowly but surely all decisions are being left to Sonia especially after the massive response she seems to be drawing.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
