National

Honeymoon's Over

The Congress' issue-based support puts the UF on tenterhooks

Advertisement

Honeymoon's Over
info_icon

FINALLY speculation over how long the Congress' unconditional support to the United Front (UF) would last was laid to rest. Nine months after it pledged unconditional support to the H.D. Deve Gowda Government to keep the BJP away from power, the Congress did a volte face. A meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on February 16 decided that support henceforth would be "issue based".

For a minority Government with 13 constituents, which have conflicting approaches on most issues, the CWC decision came as a rude shock. They had all believed somewhat optimistically that the Congress had no other option but to continue with its support. But then, party chief Sitaram Kesri realised that the best way to deflect criticism against him for the debacle in the Punjab assembly polls and Lok Sabha byelections (especially in Ropar and Chh-indwara) was to adopt an aggressive posture against the Government. "We supported the UF Government in the hope that it would strengthen the forces of secularism. But they aided and abetted forces of communalism by not supporting the Congress—first in Uttar Pradesh, and then in Punjab," says MP Tariq Anwar, who is political secretary to the Congress president. For its part, the UF considers this a 'utopian' line of argument as there had never been an agreement that its constituents would forgo their right to contest elections against the Congress in lieu of its support to the Government.

Advertisement

But there is no denying that the CWC resolution has eroded the Government's credibility. The message is clear: secular credentials of the UF alone will not ensure its survival; governance has to be in accordance with Congress wishes as well. "There will be at least seven or eight occasions during the current Budget session of Parliament on which the Government will need our support for survival. And our support cannot be taken for granted anymore," says Congress spokesperson V.N. Gadgil. And on the eve of every vote, UF ministers will have to beg for their survival. And given the fact that within the Congress Kesri has succeeded in establishing himself as the sole 'bargaining' authority, henceforth any dialogue between the Congress and the UF will take place only with someone he has authorised.

Advertisement

That the Kesri-Gowda relationship had taken a turn for the worse—the Prime Minister's frequent meetings with K. Karunak-aran are a case in point—has agitated many Kesri loyalists. And the arrival of the Bofors papers from Switzerland gave them an excuse to complain that the UF was not adequately appreciative of Congress support. Moreover, by making support issue-based, the CWC has raised the morale among Congressmen. The logic being that if the UF Government gets further discredited, people will buy the theory that the Congress alone can provide a stable regime. But for the moment, logic and political arithmetic do not match the Congress' hopes.

Meanwhile, the CWC, in which Kesri loyalists are in a majority, had to face stiff opposition from an assertive parliamentary party which refused to be a rubber stamp for the CWC. Priya Ranjan Das Munshi crit-icised the party for having fielded hawala-accused Buta Singh and Kamal Nath in Lok Sabha byelections, only to face defeat. Kesri had to concede that the CPP would be consulted before taking the crucial decision of withdrawing support to the UF, whenever that happens. But the Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, Sharad Pawar, who has of late been at loggerheads with Kesri, is believed to have told his supporters that the CWC decision might at best be a tactical one—withdrawal of support was not on the cards. And according to this faction's estimate, about 50 to 80 members are opposed to withdrawing support. They include Raj-esh Pilot, A.K. Antony and Karunakaran.

Advertisement

Their assessment is that the Congress organisation is not yet strong enough to face elections. In 1979 when Indira Gandhi withdrew support to the Charan Singh government, the party had a nationwide presence. But continuing erosion of the party's support base after that, and its near eclipse in states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Tamil Nadu leaves it with a fragile relaunch pad.

That may not be a cause for complacency for the UF, but it is certainly cause for worry. For, Kesri's Congress can bring down the Government whenever it likes. And for India as such, that may not be guarantee that stability will follow. 

Advertisement

Tags

    Advertisement

    Advertisement

    Advertisement

    Advertisement

    Advertisement

    Advertisement