The Hindu : New Delhi News : Resentment in Delhi Congress Resentment in Delhi Congress

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Apr 24, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Resentment in Delhi Congress Resentment in Delhi Congress

Sujay Mehdudia

Sheila blamed for taking unpopular decisions There is a general feeling that the Government allowed things to drift over the past few months and no effort was made to set the situation right.

NEW DELHI: While both factions of the Delhi Congress have left it to the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, to decide on the future of the leadership issue and primacy of the party over Government, a large number of legislators and political leaders are not surprised over the latest developments and the resentment prevailing among the cadres. There is a general feeling that the Government allowed things to drift over the past few months and no effort was made to set the situation right.

Political observers note that several unpopular decisions were taken one after another, diverting from the promises made in the party manifesto. Ignoring the elected representatives and failure to put the bureaucracy under leash led to alienation of various sections of society. Partymen are of the view that putting the blame at the doorstep of the party high command or All-India Congress Committee leaders for fanning dissidence in the Delhi could not be used as an excuse to brush under the carpet important issues, including alienation of the Congress vote bank.

Increase in prices

Not only are people in the rural areas of the Capital agitated over some issue or the other, even the middle class and upper middle class are feeling the pinch of the recent decisions of the Sheila Dikshit Government. For instance, the introduction of Value Added Tax regime has badly hit the middle class and the upper middle class as the prices of various items of daily use have gone up considerably. The LPG cooking gas cylinder continues to cost Rs. 13 more since April 1 despite assertions by the Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, that rates would be brought down. Diesel continues to be expensive, leading to a cascading effect on items of daily use including fruits and vegetables. Water and power rates too have gone up sharply.

While water charges have shot up by at least 400 per cent in the past six months, power tariffs have been rising for the past three years. However, the redressal mechanism for the consumers and the common man has not been effective with there being complaints galore about the indifferent attitude of the private power distribution companies. The Congress party had promised in its election manifesto that it would waive off house tax for villagers, but went ahead and implemented the new tax regime in rural and urban Delhi. The villagers feel threatened by the decision to implement building by-laws in rural areas, putting a question mark over the fate of lakhs of people.

According to sources within the party, there has been little interference from the Congress high command in the running of the Delhi Government in its second tenure during the past almost 15 months. "An element of complacency had crept into governance and the partymen and legislators are feeling alienated. Hardly any thought was given to the fact that a party structure existed and that the elected representatives also needed to be consulted on various important issues.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

New Delhi