By Sanjiv Acharya
If there were still some political observers left who doubted the political acuity of Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, then after the series of her recent political manoeuvres their number must be shrinking fast.
After the masterstroke of the Women’s Reservation Bill, when the opposition parties raised the question of the lack of empowerment of Muslim women, Sonia immediately appointed senior Congress leader Mohsina Kidwai as the first women chairperson of Haj committee. Now, her latest decision of giving clearance to five names to be nominated by President of India to the Rajya Sabha, once again proves she is a consummate politician.
Those who know what is happening at the top level of the ruling establishment know that in his second innings Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh is a changed man. He has developed a thicker skin and was not bothered by objections and criticisms from senior Congress ministers that the government is being run by a bunch of pro-USA bureaucrats. Well, the Congress operators got into the act and now the scene is changing fast.
Everybody in the political corridors knows that when differences developed between the prime minister and Mani Shankar Aiyer when the latter was the petroleum minister, Mani had to lose the portfolio. Now Sonia has nominated the same Mani Aiyer to the Rajya Sabha. Not only Mani’s, the other nominations too are on similar lines. Take the example Dr. Balchandra Mungekar. The former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mumbai and Planning Commission member unlike his former boss Montek Singh Ahluwalia, is a down to earth, Ambedkarite. A well-regarded expert in development economics he looked after educa knows tion, labour employment, tribal affairs, social justice, culture, youth affairs and sports in the Planning Commission. The buzz is that Mungekar, a pro-poor economist, is an open critic of the economic policies of Dr. Manmhohan Singh.
These two nominations are significant keeping in view the rumours of a slow but steady disillusionment with the “very pro-rich and pro-American Prime Minister”. According to the whispers from the ruling circuit, many more such decisions are in pipeline.
Another important and evidently self-serving suggestion given to Sonia by the old guards of the party is to correct the power balance in the government. They say all the “plum” portfolios are with south Indian MPs, which includes both allies and Congress members. North Indian MPs have less important departments. Similarly, civil servants from the Hindi heartland are complaining along the same lines. Very soon, this complaint will also be taken care of… Jai Ho!