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George Iype in Bangalore
Against the backdrop of the defence scandal that has rocked the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, a bolstered Congress party will hold its two-day plenary session from Saturday to prepare an agenda which party leaders claim will ultimately result in the ouster of the BJP-led coalition at the Centre.
For the Congress, which has not so far shown any remarkable strategy as an effective opposition under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi, the 81st All Indian Congress Committee plenary in Bangalore is an apt opportunity to revive the party.
Many in the party believe the political storm that has suddenly built up against the Vajpayee government in the wake of the exposure of sleazy defence deals is timely fodder for the Congress. Now they are eagerly looking forward to 'the silent' Sonia Gandhi 'to wake up' and devise a brand new strategy to revive the party and take the NDA head-on.
Senior Congress leaders who have descended on Bangalore to attend the plenary said the expose is 'the BJP's Bofors' that has not only tarnished the party but will ultimately lead to the downfall of the Vajpayee government.
"It is the biggest defence scandal that has happened in the country. In the Bofors case, there have been only allegations of corruption which are yet to be proved. In the latest defence scam, there are no allegations; there is only hard, shocking evidence that the people in the country are watching on the television," senior Congress leader K Natwar Singh told rediff.com.
Congress leaders who were hoping for a low-key AICC plenary session are now excited that the political storm in Delhi has set the agenda for the meeting. "The shameful defence deals and corrupt practices that the Vajpayee government is indulging in will dominate our discussions," AICC general secretary Margaret Alva told rediff.com.
She said already the party sub-committee headed by senior leader Pranab Mukherji has prepared draft resolutions on key subjects like politics, economics, agriculture and foreign affairs.
"But the exposure has changed the political situation in the county, especially after the withdrawal of support of Trinamul Congress leader Mamta Banerji from the NDA government," Alva said. Therefore, she added, the AICC plenary will debate and form a strategy as to what the Congress's approach towards the emerging situation should be.
Party leaders said Gandhi, who will chair a special Congress Working Committee meeting on Friday night in Bangalore, will seek the views of the senior members as to how the party should move forward, especially in the wake of the Third Front's revival attempts.
"I think a consensus is building up in the Congress that it is time for the party to build an effective platform in the wake of the defence scandal that has shaken the Vajpayee government," a senior party leader from South pointed out.
He lamented that Sonia Gandhi as an opposition leader 'has not shown any remarkable charisma and brilliance'. "This is the apt time to prove herself as an able opposition leader, failing which the Congress will not gain much out of the current defence scam rocking the Vajpayee government," the Congress leader commented.
While many in the party admit that as an Opposition leader Gandhi has been meek and ineffective, the only area in which she has succeeded is in keeping the party united. "Sonia has been effective in keeping the party united. But that is not enough. The time has come for the Congress to stand up as a shouting opposition and gain from it," another senior leader added.
As Congress leaders anxiously wait to see how Gandhi will set the tone for the party's future course of action, it is the expose, the resignation of Defence Minister George Fernandes and withdrawal of support by Mamta Banerji that is spoken about by the hundreds of AICC delegates coming to Bangalore.
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