Here comes the Prince

 

 

In 1998, at the Pachmarhi session of the Congress, the party weighed the pros and cons of coalitions and accepted that sharing political space would mark a temporary phase. "In the interim, coalitions will be needed," announced Congress president Sonia Gandhi. That was then. Nine years later, at the day-long session of the AICC held last week, the Congress projected confidence that the time had come for the party to regain its glorious past. It resolved to come out of the clutches of the regional parties. The party, led by Sonia Gandhi and her son, Rahul, would now aim to increase its tally to take charge of the country.

The one-day AICC session held in the capital on November 17, was also the platform to launch Rahul Gandhi, officially setting the stage for the scion of the the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty to take overall control of the party.

The political resolution adopted at the session made it clear that Congress, tired of bending backwards to appease allies, intends to rework the old magic and recapture its lost political space. With Rahul at the helm of affairs, the party would now target the youth. What is more, the Congress has no inclination to share electoral berths with regional parties in the next general elections, expected to be held in 2009. It is not planning to share political space even during the forthcoming assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, where it is a direct fight between the Congress and BJP.

Speaking to the TSI, senior party leader Oscar Fernandes said: “Coalition is a compulsion, but Congress will gear up in all the states as every party worker wants to bring back the lost glory of the party”

The Congress would now move to strengthen its organisation in states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Better home work, intensive tours and regular parlyes with local people are among the strategies of the Congress. While meeting the party functionaries from Bihar, on the sidelines of the session, a worried Sonia Gandhi asked them to reorganise the cadres at the booth level. “The concept of merit (Yogyatatantra) evolved by Rahul Gandhi, would certainly help the party regain its lost glory in states like UP and Bihar,” AICC general secretary, Digvijay Singh told TSI.

“We will start the process of enrolling new members at the district and booth level in the rural areas. Panchayats will play a key role in this, he added. During the session, Congress Working Committee member Arjun Singh, however, expressed concern over factionalism and infighting that has been plaguing the party. The other key cause for worry was “neglect of the committed workers.” Making it clear that the party has to work unitedly to snap the shackles of coalition, Sonia Gandhi said: “Neither me nor Rahul has a magic stick... Everybody has to work.” Donning the iron glove, Rahul made it clear to party functionaries from UP that those “who secured less than 5000 votes in assembly elections, will be removed from organisational posts to accommodate deserving candidates.” The MP from Amethi means business.