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Sonia senses chance, seeks to keep seniors in good humour

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

After having rubbed senior party leaders Sitaram Kesri, Sharad Pawar and C K Jaffer Sharief the wrong way recently, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has embarked on a mission to pacify them.

A Congress general secretary told this correspondent that Sonia's recent action in talking tough with the likes of Kesri, Pawar and Sharief had disquieted veteran Congressmen who do not approve of her aggressive streak. She had been advised by party leaders such as P A Sangma and Oscar Fernandes to "mend fences" with the unhappy veterans.

It is understood that Sonia virtually apologised to Sharief recently. Sonia had pulled him up for belligerence during a Congress Parliamentary Party meeting, when he insisted on her support to his demand that a separate quota be created for Muslim women in the Women's Reservation Bill. Sharief had then walked out and offered to resign from the party.

According to a party general secretary, Sonia also made a move to pacify her predecessor. Kesri had sought to draw her attention to her aggressive disposition towards Sharief, but he was snubbed.

However, on realising that she might have been unduly severe on Kesri, the party chief spoke to him again, indicating that she valued his suggestion and that he should not misinterpret her in any way.

However, she is understood to have told party colleagues that while she had nothing against Pawar personally, she would not allow any indiscipline among party legislators.

Meanwhile, while she has been disinclined to support any moves aimed at toppling the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government, Sonia is nonetheless studying the situation closely. This is why she instructed party spokesman Ajit Jogi to announce that the Congress will not forget its duties in crunch situations.

Observers says she is aware that the BJP-led government may well collapse, and that, in such an event, the Congress may be President K R Narayanan's next choice. So she is willing to keep everyone in good humour, just in case.

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