The way Mrs Sonia Gandhi lay into the Opposition left little doubt about the Congress’ determination to stick by the emphasis that Dr Singh has supplied
When the UPA-2 government decided to go full steam ahead and take the executive decision to clear foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail in the teeth of opposition from the Trinamul Congress it was evident that the Congress Party had taken the plunge on its roadmap for change.
About a month and a half have elapsed since then and the Congress has not buckled under pressure from its opponents. Nor has it given credence to the opposition to FDI from the Samajwadi Party, which supports the Manmohan Singh government from outside.
The import of these developments was that the Congress was seeking to last the remainder of its term in the present Lok Sabha on its own terms, undeterred by political challenges that Opposition or supporting parties may mount. The sense of this was on display at the massive Congress rally in the national capital last Sunday addressed by the Prime Minister, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, who was showcased as the key driver of the Congress organisation as the party prepares for the next general election.
It was plain nevertheless that it was Mrs Gandhi whose credibility and resolve to endorse the economic policies of the Manmohan government would be made to carry the day for the Congress. The way Mrs Gandhi lay into the Opposition, frontally tackled the charge of corruption, and provided the political and ideological rationale that FDI and subsidy cuts were inescapable even at a time of rising prices, left little doubt about the Congress’ determination to stick by the emphasis that Dr Singh has supplied to his coalition regime.
Some have seen this public defence of the present market-oriented policies from the highest levels in the Congress as the first occasion when the Congress is not seeking to push through reforms “by stealth”. This appears a wholly unhistorical assessment. The remarkable change in economic direction effected by Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao had earlier already marked a new beginning in the economic history of this country. It can indeed be argued that whether it is the emphasis on the socialist pattern of society in the early years of Congress rule, or the subsequent modifications to this programme in the light of changing realities, both have come at the initiative of the Congress in the teeth of criticism and opposition. If Nehru and Indira were accused of imposing socialism, Sonia’s Congress is being charged with abandoning it.
Precisely because we are close to the next general election in terms of political time, the upcoming Winter Session of Parliament may be expected to be full of sound and fury. The Congress Party’s management skills and resolve will be on test.
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