Sangma reports to work, says foreign PM a security risk
Indrani Bagchi
The Economic Times
May 22, 1999
Title: Sangma reports to work, says foreign PM a security risk
Author: Indrani Bagchi
Publication: The Economic Times
Date: May 22, 1999
The lack of unanimity at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting
last night on the expulsion of Sharad Pawar, P A Sangma and Tariq
Anwar has come as a shot in the arm for the three rebels now. Mr
Sangma, who was in Delhi today after his tour of the US, said the
division in opinion may signal further support to their cause. At the
CWC meeting last night, A K Antony, Sitaram Kesri and Jitendra Prasada
were reported to have opposed the expulsion, preferring a softer
option.
A relaxed Sangma said he, Pawar and Anwar would sit down together from
tomorrow for formalising their strategy and expected that a
fully-fledged decision would emerge within a week. While addressing
newspersons in Pune, Mr Pawar was more clear about the troika's future
plans. He said they, would form a "viable alternative" political
front that would be "Congress in nature but without its drawbacks".
Mr Pawar's declaration had an instant effect on the party, at least in
his home state. Reports from Maharashtra said the Congress was
heading for a vertical split in the state.
Back in the capital, one of the first tasks of the new group was to
call on the former Congress president, Sitaram Kesri, this morning.
Mr Kesri was one of the three senior CWC members who were being
manhandled at the AICC head-quarters last night. That it was no
innocent call was made clear when Mr Sangma said tongue-in-cheek,
"politics starts with courtesy
Mr Sangma kept the "foreigner" issue alive when he said the is-sue was
"national in nature" and had to be addressed at a higher level.
Referring to the phrase in the letter that Sonia's becoming the prime
minister would "hinder national security", he quoted an article in a
daily where the authour, a retired intelligence official, said, "Sonia
the PM might be subject to ethical dilemmas which would pit natural
sentiments against the interests of her adopted country".
It is now becoming clear that while the plans of the new front may
take time to evolve, Mr Pawar's aspirations for finding a place in
national politics is on the rise. He built upon this today by
declaring that smaller parties from different states had "evinced
interest" in joining their political formation.
Even as the Congress party, denied that anybody apart from the three
"rebels" was leaving the party, both Mr Pawar and Mr Sangma hinted
broadly that numerous Congressmen would swing to their side.
"A lot of Congressmen are unhappy with the decision of the CWC
expelling us from the party," said Mr Sangma.
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