Sonia's leadership comes under a cloud as regional satraps quarrel

Poised to give a fresh fillip to her detractors, Sonia Gandhi's capabilities in steering the Congress appear to have come under a cloud once again with the leadership seeming unable to put a stop to constant bickerings and acts of indiscipline at the state level.

Buttressing the impression that dissident activities were on the rise, Congress leaders in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal have been openly indulging in factional fights. In making frontal attacks on the state leadership, handpicked by Sonia herself, party circles concede that the one signal going out is outright defiance of the central authority.

Sonia loyalists, however, are quick to assert that the leadership has been seized of the developments ill various states and she is tackling them in her own way.

Indicating that Ms Gandhi may have taken a leaf out of former prime minister PV Narasimha Rao's book, a senior CWC member quipped: "Some time not taking decision is also a decision".

In the latest episode, relating to West Bengal, WBPCC working president Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi today dashed off a honey-laced letter to the PCC chief Ghani Khan Chowdhary, which is meant to be a clarification of sorts on the Mahajot issue. It was, however, clear that Dasmunshi's missive was not aimed at mending bridges with the veteran leader. He released copies of the letter to the media which detailed Mr Chowdhary's endorsement on nominating a Congress candidate against the CPI(M) as well as Trinamool for the coming Panskura by-elections.

According to party circles, Mr Dasmunshi is cut up with the PCC chief for extending silent support to the Trinamool's vicious campaign against him in Ins constituency Raiganj. Mr Chowdhary, on the other hand, blames Mr Dasmunshi for foiling his grand plans of Mahajot with the Trinamool.

The situation in Delhi, where more than one third of the MLAs rebelled against chief minister Sheila Dikshit, may have been quelled for now but the resentment is yet to go away. Ms Gandhi is yet to decide on action against the erring leaders.

Dissidence in Uttar Pradesh too has taken a turn for the worse with dissidents telling the leadership that they cannot work with PCC chief Salman Khurshid.

An ambitious strategy on the part of the AICC general secretary in charge, Sushil Kumar Shinde, to unite the various factions fell flat recently when party MPs from the state bluntly refused to discuss if the PCC president was present. Mr Shinde spent an hour with Ms Gandhi subsequently briefing her about UP affairs and relaying the message that a change of leadership was being demanded.
 

Back                          Top