The Hindu : National : Digvijay Singh to draw up Congress strategy in Bihar

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Sunday, Jun 12, 2005

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National

Digvijay Singh to draw up Congress strategy in Bihar

Special Correspondent

Attempt to ensure minimal division of secular voters

NEW DELHI: The Congress has assigned the task of drawing up the party's Bihar strategy — including stitching up an alliance — to the former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary, Digvijay Singh.

Unlike the last round — when the Congress had several leaders providing inputs resulting in a scenario of too many cooks spoiling the broth — Mr. Singh will be the lone pointsman this time. He has before him the onerous task of putting together a workable alliance minus the contradictions that had crept into the party's strategy in the Assembly elections earlier this year. Mr. Singh is a known votary of alliance politics and is comfortable with the idea of sharing power with other parties.

For the record, AICC general secretary Ambika Soni has been saying from the day the Bihar Assembly was dissolved late last month that the Congress would do everything to keep the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) alive in the State as a cohesive front. But later statements from the Bihar-based constituents of the UPA and supporting parties have queered the pitch yet again; making Mr. Singh's task unenviable.

The Congress leadership is watching the war of words between Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president Ram Vilas Paswan. The AICC establishment is also aware of the resentment the Communist Party of India has about the RJD. Mr. Singh's task would be to ensure that there is as minimum as possible a division of "secular votes''.

In the February polls, various constituents and supporting parties of the UPA had a loose understanding but it came apart as voting day drew nigh. On paper, the Congress had a pact with both the RJD and the LJP which were at loggerheads with each other. The Congress left 80 seats for the RJD and did not cross swords with the LJP. Likewise, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) had its own tie-up with the RJD while the CPI went with the Forward Block and smaller Left parties. The trick now is to learn a lesson or two from the February experience.

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