Insider’s Out Again

He may well be on his way to writing the sequel to his autobiographical novel The Insider, but former prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao is no longer one who is closeted inside. He appears to be emerging from the cold to become, if not a rallying point, then a sounding board for disgruntled elements within the Congress. Of late, he has been playing host to Congressmen who are fed up with the lack of direction on economic and other policies-and former Congressmen as well. Natwar Singh, Manmohan Singh, Jitendra Prasada, Pranab Mukherjee, Sharad Pawar or Purno Sangma have been frequenting his salon.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi is keeping an eye on Rao and both 10, Janpath loyalists and dissidents have been meeting him to ascertain his mood. Rao is consulted on all matters-from CTBT to economic reforms.

Significantly, Rao’s recent speech at the assocham calling for a review of economic reforms has struck a chord with Congressmen across the board. "I am making an emphatic suggestion that now at the first decade point of the liberalisation programme, time has come to take an intensive look at its overall results and the benefits that accrued to the people," Rao said. He observed that "instead of solid infrastructure, phenomenal multiplication has occurred in the manufacture of consumer items". And this, he adds, was not the basic intention.

Rao’s declarations seem to have emboldened some Congressmen who have been opposed to the party’s almost unconditional support to the government’s liberalisation programme. CWC member Jitendra Prasada has mooted the idea of calling a meeting of the Congress’ apex body to discuss the party’s stand on the ‘second generation’ of reforms. Says Prasada: "As the main opposition party, we should question indiscriminate disinvestment. Where is this money going? Is it going into poverty alleviation or meeting the budgetary gap or is it going abroad?"

Chimes in CWC member Rajesh Pilot: "I think it’s a very good idea. It’s an issue I’ve been raising since Panchmarhi. I raised it before the IRDA Bill was passed. We have to take a balanced view". Most senior leaders now agree that the party can’t be seen going along with the BJP on all matters of economic policy, particularly when the PMO is being seen as an US enclave.

The left wing of the Congress, comprising MPs like Priyaranjan Das Munshi and Vyalar Ravi, have consistently warned that the party must position itself as pro-poor to halt the increasing erosion of its support base. This lobby has taken heart from the fact that Rao, the progenitor of economic reforms, has called for a review.

Among 10, Janpath loyalists, the increasing demand for a CWC meeting on economic reforms has generated disquiet. They feel that it might be used as a forum to put Sonia on the mat for the party’s poor performance in the Lok Sabha and assembly elections. A replay of March 14, 1998-when former president Sitaram Kesri was supplanted by Sonia-might result in the demand for "one person, one post".

But there is some good news for Sonia. Not everyone opposed to her is on good terms with Rao. The main problem among the dissidents is to find a universally acceptable replacement for Sonia.

Currently, they’re in a hopeless minority in the party’s apex body, thanks largely to Sonia eschewing generational change and choosing to appoint die-hard family retainers to the CWC.

So, two alternative strategies are being touted. One envisages group leadership, with a senior member of the CWC being appointed convenor. The other involves raising a demand for a "united" Congress, throwing open the doors to even those who have quit the party-Pawar and co, G.K. Moopanar and even some of the NDA allies.

Sonia might survive a poor showing in the assembly polls but the Rajya Sabha elections in mid-March pose a tricky problem. She would prefer to accommodate loyalists, including those who have lost the Lok Sabha elections, although this goes against her own stated policy. In fact, it has already been violated in the case of Karan Singh. And this is bound to be highlighted if 10, Janpath successfully scuttles the nominations of Arjun Singh and Natwar Singh.

Ominous signs are already there if Sonia cares to see. M.L. Fotedar, who is reportedly upset at not having been accommodated in the Rajya Sabha from Delhi, has stopped visiting 10, Janpath. Rajesh Khanna spoke out openly against her after being denied a Rajya Sabha nomination, but has been mollified with the promise of being adjusted later. Observes a senior CWC member: "The two instances have sent out a message that she will appease only those who threaten to quit."