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Course correction for Congress

The second half of a ruling party's tenure is traditionally thought to be tougher than the first half. With the honeymoon years behind it, the regime is presumed to have entered a turbulent phase marked by anti-incumbency, internal dissent, and policy disorientation. Will the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance Government overturn conventional wisdom? Recent opinion polls have established that the UPA was way ahead of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance. The just-concluded conference of Congress Chief Ministers at Nainital showcased a party at peace with itself as never before in the more than two years it has been in power. Exuding confidence, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi presented a picture of togetherness that quelled speculation about their supposedly troubled relationship; indeed, Ms. Gandhi strongly defended Dr. Singh, sending out an unequivocal signal to factional leaders looking to feather their own nests. Ms. Gandhi did well to assert the primacy of Dr. Singh in the Congress' scheme of things. No Prime Minister can function in an environment where he is constantly sought to be undermined, where the party chief is seen to entertain dissidents calling for his removal. The demonstration of unity came on top of a concerted effort by the leadership to reassert the party's core values. With elections to the Assemblies in four States scheduled for early 2007, the conclave became an occasion to re-establish the Congress's pro-poor, pro-minorities credentials.

Ms. Gandhi and Dr. Singh made forceful interventions to reassure the Muslim community in the context of dealing with terrorism; both the leaders warned against targeting a whole community in the name of fighting terror. The party chief stressed the need to address internal security without any community feeling "itself under siege or (becoming) an automatic target of suspicion." Dr. Singh came down hard on the law enforcement machinery for its lack of sensitivity towards minorities. Also on the agenda was the distressed farm sector. Ms. Gandhi asked the assembled Chief Ministers to go easy on Special Economic Zones carved out of agricultural land. The Prime Minister promised a wholesale review of agricultural policy covering aspects of procurement, support price, and external assistance. Yet the big two were soon administered a reality check. Even as Ms. Gandhi and Dr. Singh were making overtures to farmers, came news of 11 distress suicides, indicating the complex and endemic nature of the crisis. The Manmohan Singh-Sonia equation has proved to be enduring. But the allies are restive and the prognosis is none too good for the party in the coming Assembly polls. The CMs' conclave has sent out the right message. It is for the Government to make the necessary course correction.

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