WHEN Sonia Gandhi woke up on Easter Sunday, she had no inkling of the drama that was to unfold. Yes, she was aware of the tensions between Congress president Sitaram Kesri and Prime Minister Deve Gowda. She had also been apprised of the unhappiness among some top Congress leaders because of the plethora of corruption and criminal cases filed against them. But no one had told her that the party had decided to withdraw support to the United Front.
According to some senior Congress leaders who called on her after Kesri's surprise move, Sonia Gandhi was distinctly upset that such a major decision had been announced without informing her. Had Kesri too begun distancing the party from 10, Janpath like his predecessor P.V. Narasimha Rao?
Sonia apart, it was slowly dawning on other top Congress leaders that they too had been sidestepped by Kesri. Some of the leaders who visited 10, Janpath informed Sonia about the sense of foreboding among Congress MPs. No one was quite aware of Kesri's gameplan.
But Kesri soon took care of that. He called on Sonia himself and sent a string of emissaries to convince her that the party had little choice but to take the extreme step. According to
Kesri, the government had taken little notice of the repeated warning signals sent out by the party. Gowda continued to court Narasimha Rao, ignoring the office of the Congress president and the CPP leader. Moreover, he was trying to establish direct links with members of the anti-Kesri camp like Rajesh Pilot; and what was perhaps most dangerous for the party, Gowda was targeting select senior Congressmen, including Kesri, with the help of investigating agencies. Under these circumstances, claimed Kesri, the Congress could not possibly go on supporting Gowda.
Congress leaders who are in touch with Sonia say she is averse to a mid-term poll. She understands the Congress sentiments about Gowda but feels that the party could agree to another UF
leader at the head of a new government. Someone like G.K. Moopanar, for instance. She does not share the optimism of some Congressmen that Moopanar could be persuaded to break away from the TMC's ally, the DMK, and rejoin the Congress, according to sources. Moopanar has made it clear that any question of rejoining the Congress would arise only if Sonia Gandhi comes forward to lead the Congress, and that is not going to happen—at least not yet. But Sonia watchers claim she is willing to listen to any Congressman who wants to seek her counsel.
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