Congress revisits strategies it perfected when it was in Opposition

The Congress is falling back on its tested strategies it had adopted when it was in the Opposition a decade ago.

The party has started holding bi-weekly meetings of its Parliamentary Affairs Committee (PAC), chaired by party President Sonia Gandhi comprising senior leaders in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, to take a considered and cohesive stand on issues and legislation.

Learning from the success of the party's DEPCO (Department of Policy Planning and Coordination), which was active prior to 2004, the Congress has also revamped its present research unit, headed by a former Indian Institute of Management professor, Rajeev Gowda, to provide intellectual inputs to its MPs and spokespersons to take on the BJP-led government.

With 44 MPs, the Congress faces the threat of becoming irrelevant in the Lok Sabha. The government has refused to give the Congress post of leader of Opposition. This means, it is just like any other Opposition party in the Lok Sabha, though it is better placed at the Upper House, where it has more members than the BJP.

Therefore having a well defined strategy as opposition is imperative for the Congress.

“The PAC used to exist just in name during the UPA government years, after all the government would be deciding on policy issues then. But now, the PAC is essential to decide not just on floor strategy but on how much to raise a controversial issue, to chalk out a joint strategy so that the Congress is not seen to be acting differently in the two Houses. Sonia Gandhi would diligently chair these PAC meetings during 1999- 2004 and it is at her insistence that it has been revived,” said a senior party parliamentary leader.  The PAC, which comprises leaders of both Houses Mallikarjun Kharge and Ghulam Nabi Azad, as well as  party whips and others, now meets on Tuesdays and Fridays before Parliament is convened.

The Congress believes that one of the factors that helped it play the role of an effective Opposition during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee regime was its ability to tear apart the government's claims with facts and figures. Salman Khurshid used to head DEPCO. Party seniors such as Pranab Mukherjee and Shivraj Patil used to provide key inputs on finance, foreign affairs and other issues.

On similar lines the Congress has now revamped its current research unit. The unit is tasked with providing in-depth research papers, authentic data and synopsis on key issues to aid its MPs when THEY take part in debates in Parliament.

Last week, evidence of this was seen when the party's revamped research unit dug up the NDA's poor past record on disinvestment. The spokesperson then culled out details when briefing the media on how the NDA had bungled the Centaur hotel disinvestment and questions persisted about BSNL as well. The Congress spokesperson said, “The present BJP-led government appears to be over enthusiastic on disinvesting PSUs and has already announced four such disinvestments. It should take heed from the past.”