Congress always in two minds

Posted by: N D Sharma on: February 7, 2024

• In: Media | Politics | Sonia Gandhi
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While Congress President Mallikarjun Khadge and other party leaders were congratulating veteran BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani for the announcement that it had been decided to confer the country’s highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna, on him, the Congress leader of Opposition in Madhya Pradesh Assembly Umang Singhar wondered how Advani had been chosen for the award of Bharat Ratna. He asked what Advani had done to deserve the Bharat Ratna. He said that the country “has not forgotten the religious frenzy” Advani had created in the country while taking out his Rath-Yatra which ultimately resulted in the destruction of Babri Masjid and killing of several hundred persons.

This is not the first time that the Congress has spoken in different voices. Its two-minded approach to important issues was better seen by its taking too much time to make its decision on the Ayodhya issue. A formal invitation was sent to Congress to attend the “inauguration” of the Ayodhya temple. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat were among the five persons who were allowed to be present in the sanctum sanctorum when the Ram temple was “sanctified” and declared formally open for the public.

From the declaration of the date of its inauguration to allowing the public to have the “darshan” of the “Ram Lala” (questions have been raised why an idol of child Ram has been installed there instead of grown up Ram) Congress has been most of the time in two minds. It was only a few day before the inauguration that the Congress leadership decided that the party should not participate in Ayodhya function. By that time many Congressmen had made up their minds. Some Congress leaders from Gujarat had openly communicated to the High Command that they would attend the Ayodhya function.

Addressing a rally in Bhubaneswar, Congress President Mallikarjun Khadge was said to have observed: “Like (Vladimir) Putin’s presidential election in Russia… the same will happen in India. There will be no election (after the coming one, if the BJP is voted to power)… they will use their might to rule the country… they will get elected and get 200, 300, 400 and 500 (seats)…” What is Congress party’s policy towards Russia? For all these years the Congress party has been a close friend of Russia knowing fully well that Russia (earlier a Soviet Union) did not have an India-type democracy while India was always sceptical about the intentions of America. Is there now a change in India’s perception of Russia? When did this occur? Why has it not been made public so far?

Congress has been in two minds ever since Sonia Gandhi became its President. It mobilised the partymen all over the country as had not been witnessed over several decades while collecting more than six crore signatures seeking paliammentary inquiry into what is known as “coffin scam” (in the armed forces). George Fernandes, who was then the Defence Minister, had literally gone mad while abusing Sonia Gandhi. Then about the date taken from the President for submission of the demand and signatures, Sonia Gandhi “accepted” then Prime Minister Atal BeGeorgehari Vajpayee’s invitation to go to America for givining an address. A senior functionary of the Congress office in Delhi took a few truck loads of signatures to the President. A few newspapers tucked a news item in a couple of paragraphs on inside pages. A geat anti-climax of Independent India. That, indcidentally, is not the only instance of Sonia Gandhi’s un-statesman and un-politician like behaviour.

Tags: Atal Behari Vajpayee, George Fernandes, Lal Krishna Advani, Mallikarjun Khadge, Narendra Modi, Umang Singhar, Vladimir Putin