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Congress weighing options towards Mayawati

LUCKNOW: After the Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections, the Congress in Uttar Pradesh finds itself in a dilemma. There is a strong feeling in the party that its “appeasement” policy toward Chief Minister Mayawati may cost it dearly. Murmurings on this count have reportedly reached the Congress central leadership.

After Ms. Mayawati supported the United Progressive Alliance-Left candidates in the two elections the Congress is weighing the options for an approach toward the Chief Minister. In the current scenario in the State, the Congress is unable to define its stand — as that of an Opposition party or as an ally of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Salman Khurshid told The Hindu that “in the overall context it was too soon to predict the exact contours of the Congress’ relationship with Ms. Mayawati.” He, however, st ressed that the party was sensitive to the opinions from different parts of the State. “The Congress cannot shut its eyes toward these opinions, we are awaiting guidance from the Central leadership,” the State Congress chief said.

Mr. Khurshid’s logic, as that of other Congressmen, stems from the contention that the BSP did not come to power with a landslide victory. “The BSP enjoys bare majority in the Vidhan Sabha,” he emphasised.

The change in the Congress attitude is attributed to the apprehension that if it does not redefine its priorities, it may reflect unfavourably on its performance in the Lok Sabha polls due to be held in 2009. The immediate task before it is to retain the nine seats the party won in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections.

The party has already found itself on a sticky wicket on many issues during Ms. Mayawati’s regime.

The Congress leadership’s ambivalent stand on the Ambedkar Stadium issue, the new agriculture policy with its emphasis on contract farming and the BSP Government’s move to refer the dowry case, allegedly involving a relative of Union Human Resources Development Minister Arjun Singh, to the CBI has not gone down well with the party cadres.

What is irking the Congressmen more is the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister’s demand for a Central package to the tune of Rs.80,000 crore, plus an additional Rs.2,200 crore for flood relief measures.

As if wanting to score a political point over the Congress, the Government issued full-page advertisements in all the local and national dailies listing “the details” of the Rs.80,000-crore package. The same had been displayed on hoardings, installed at vantage points in the State capital.

Notwithstanding the UPA Government’s “friendly ties” with the Chief Minister, the Congress is ready to take on the BSP.

The All-India Congress Committee’s decision to field the tainted Vijay Singh from Farrukhabad in the Assembly by-elections on August 31 is being seen as a step in this direction.

An accused in the Brahmadutt Dwivedi murder case, Mr. Singh won the recent Assembly elections from Farrukhabad on a Samajwadi Party ticket.

However, he resigned from the Vidhan Sabha and the Samajwadi Party, and joined the BSP only to be thrown out of the party by Ms. Mayawati.

In what is emerging as a straight fight between the Congress and the BSP, Mr. Singh is pitted against the Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anant Kumar alias Antu Mishra.

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