Sonia Hints At Imminent Cong Rule

Congress president Sonia Gandhi yesterday stunned even her party Mps by asking them to be ready to bear the responsibility of forming a government at the Centre in the near future. She declared that she would be travelling a lot in the next few months starting with a visit to flood affected areas of Assam and expected all party Mps to do the same.

She made the remarks while addressing Congress Mps at the valedictory meeting of the Congress Party in Parliament (CPP).

Elaborating how the government was paralysed leading to instability in the country because of internal differences she said in the last two years of non-Congress governments "all indices of growth have been falling. "Only prices keep rising."

"In these circumstances, the Congress has to be on the alert for any development in the medium or even short term. At any moment we might be called upon to assume responsibilities". Several party Mps later said how her long speech sounded like that of a Prime Minister as it encompassed the entire spectrum of the issues from developments on the external front to problems facing the nation. Gandhi offerred cooperation to the government in ensuring that the country's name and interests were protected on the external front. She said "disturbing developments" might be seen on the international stage between now and November. "India might find itself in the dock" at the UN General Assembly meeting.

It was unfortunate that the government was not showing any inclination to build consensus on foreign relations. A united view of the nation was particularly needed in respect of the non-aligned movement. Gandhi regretted that the country had lost the leader's position in NAM. She said all efforts should be made to restore the old position. The NAM is holding its next meeting later this month in South Africa which is to be attended by Vajpayee.

On Kashmir, Gandhi ruled out any third party interference, called for a "constructive and enlightened" approach to resumption of talks with Pakistan. She also called for "repairing the bridges to China which have been needlessly damaged." On relations with the USA, she said "firmness and courtesy must inform our relations". She also hinted at her desire for the two countries treating each-other on the equal footing by saying "the leadership of both countries needs to raise relations between us to the levels warranted by our being the two largest democracies of the world."

As for global nuclear issues, the only viable plan is the one presented to the UN by former Congress president Rajiv Gandhi asking for a time-bound elimination of nuclear weapons from the world. Gandhi had begun by calling upon Members to work out ways of ironing out differences over the women's reservation Bill. There was enough hint in her speech to show that she was not for any reservation within reservation in the women's reservation Bill. She then switched over to Jain Commission's interim and final report saying that "the truth about assassination must come out." The party must be put on the alert so that what happened in Goa is not repeated.