National

End Of Soliloquy?

In a break from Pachmarhi, at Shimla the party mulls over electoral alliances and sharing power at the Centre

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End Of Soliloquy?
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Its Shimla conclave could prove a turning point for the Congress, as it formalises its amenability to electoral alliances and power-sharing at the Centre. The proposed retreat from Pachmarhi, where it famously adopted a go-it-alone policy, is seen as an indication of the party's make-or-break approach to the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. Although billed as an introspective exercise, the Congress version of the 'chintan shivir' will concentrate on electoral strategies and streamlining the organisation. The process of identifying Lok Sabha candidates and possible seat-sharing arrangements with other parties has already begun.

Some 20 issues, most with a direct bearing on the general elections, will be discussed in five separate groups on political challenges, rural transformation, social empowerment, election preparedness and organisation reform, and people-oriented governance. The 263 delegates have been selected on the basis of region, caste, gender and, for the first time, age. In an attempt at a 'scientific', result-linked approach, the five agenda papers are accompanied by extensive annexures correlating governance with poll performance.

The discussion on political challenges will revolve around alliances in various states. But it will also cover foreign policy, looking at Indo-Pak and Sino-Indian relations, the unipolar world environment and the relevance of non-alignment.

In a logical move forward from its Srinagar conclave, where the Congress signalled its openness to pre-electoral tie-ups, the party will discuss threadbare the pros and cons of alliances in each state. Although it has pretty much decided to ally with the ncp in Maharashtra and the Samajwadi Party in UP, those opposed will be given an opportunity to express reservations. In Tamil Nadu, while a possible alliance with the DMK will be debated, the Congress now believes it can form a credible third force without an alliance.

The "Dalit upheaval", as represented by Mayawati, is on the discussion agenda. The Congress will assess the strength of the bsp-bjp alliance in UP, its possible impact on the Centre and other states and formulate strategies to take it on.

In the social empowerment session, the most contentious topic of discussion will be job quotas for obcs and others. The MP government recently doubled quotas for obcs, while the Rajasthan government mooted reservation for the upper caste poor. Both violate the 50 per cent limit on quotas set by the Supreme Court and have seen intense disagreements in the party.

Equally contentious will be the analysis of the organisational weaknesses. The virtual disappearance of its booth committees and the marginalisation of the grassroots workers will be discussed. The tendency to nominate rather than elect members of party committees at all levels has come in for criticism in the past. This is likely to be thrashed out at Shimla. The need to decentralise decision-making, restructure and empower the PCCs will also be emphasised.

Interestingly, the agenda paper points to the disparity in the representation of women at the AICC and block level. Instituting a 33 per cent quota for women in the organisation is hardly possible, when representation at the block level is as low as 1-2 per cent. Strengthening the Mahila Congress and other proposals to remove the disparity between the grassroots level and the top are likely to come up.

On the good governance front, the party will debate quality criteria for its nominees and whether, given the apex court's view that candidates reveal their assets and antecedents when filing nominations, the existing screening process for ticket distribution is adequately tough. Implementation of the Manmohan Singh Committee report on transparent poll funding will be reviewed.

Curiously, there is no separate paper on economic policy, which is covered in the wide-ranging papers on rural transformation and social empowerment. These talk about everything from unemployment to Mandalisation of politics, from agriculture to low-cost housing and healthcare to consumer issues. "There's a clear indication of a return to '70s socialism, while standing by economic reforms for the record," says a senior party leader.

The Shimla Declaration, like the Pachmarhi one, is likely to be replete with lofty pronouncements and good intentions. Will it yield a healthier harvest?

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