Cong Shaping Common Agenda

With the possibility of running a coalition government with the outside support of the Left staring in its face, the Congress is mulling over fine-tuning its economic agenda to suit the need of the time.

This was indicated by Congress President Sonia Gandhi when she met CP(M) general secretary Harkishen Singh Surjeet on Sunday. While discussing the political situation and a possibility of the Congress having to come forward to prevent a mid-term election, Surjeet brought up the issues which the Left felt should be the priority of a Congress led government. Gandhi agreed and said that such issues shall have to be discussed.

 

Confirming this yesterday, Congress Working Committee member Pranab Mukherjee said that it was a bit pre-mature to talk about what exactly would be the final shape of a common agenda. But there will have to be a common programme for governance if the Congress is to lead a government with other partners.

In such a situation, the party can not expect to persue its own manifesto. It will have to make adjustments in order to accomodate its partners' agenda. In any case, he said, the Congress party has always responded to the aspirations of the people and the needs of the nation. Mukherjee yesterday had a meeting with Gandhi at her residence.

The Left parties have suggested a six-point agenda to the Congress leadership aimed at relief to the common man.

If the Congress-led government implemented the agenda, the Left is unlikely to disturb the government for at least two years.

The agenda includes checking price rise by ensuring efficient distribution of essential commodities even if it entails large government expenditure.

It also calls for a time-bound programme for providing drinking water in targetted villages, projects on primary education and health.

The Congress realises that changing the priority of the economic agenda was easier said than done. To do that, the government would have to incur huge expenditure which can upset the economic parameters of the country.

The party has got indications from the Left that if the Congress seriously takes up the agenda, the Left might not interfere with the Congress' programme of economic reforms, though they might resort to mass movements, even strikes on issues like insurance opening up.

According to Congress sources, the Congress initially began talking to the Left parties with the proposal that it was willing to adopt the United Front's Common Minimum Programme as the programme of a Congress led government.