Congress spurns alliances
Lays stress on regaining base
From K.V. Prasad
Tribune News Service

PACHMARHI (MP), Sept 5 — After two sessions of intense debate where views and counterviews were tossed around, the Congress delegates sensed the mood of the party leadership and virtually rejected alliances as the route to regaining power.

With much of the heat generated in discussions having been dissipated, the brainstorming session moved towards preparing preliminary drafts on issues — political, economic, international, agriculture and organisational affairs.

On the political front, a consensus was emerging that the Congress should concentrate and create a special programme for the states of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, instead of looking for alliances which in the longer run would cause "greater harm than good".

According to senior Congress leader, Mr Sharad Pawar, many members had expressed apprehension of striking alliances with "secular parties" and instead suggested the party try and gain back its traditional base.

"The idea is to create a situation where a sizeable percentage of those who are against the BJP should look up only to the Congress and not any one else", he said.

Mr Pawar, himself a votary of alliances, said he saw reason behind the suggestions since aligning with parties may be beneficial in the short term, but eventually the Congress cannot regain its traditional base.

The turnaround was significant considering the fact that there were few leaders opposed to striking alliances with "like-minded" parties. But eventually the outlines drawn by the Congress president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi seemed to have carried the day.

Another issue of significance was that the Congress may take a strong line against casteist parties. The importance of this cannot be lost in the present context since a section of the party is keen to tie up with the Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal, while others favour alliances with Bahujan Samaj Party.

A line against the casteist parties could have a bearing on the Congress strategy to form a government at the Centre in the event of the present arrangement coming apart.

In fact, Mrs Sonia Gandhi’s statement that the Congress will fulfil its constitutional obligation itself came in for review with Mr Kamal Nath arguing that there was nothing in the Constitution which makes it obligatory for the party to step in.

Mr Kamal Nath also took potshots at Mr Arjun Singh by mentioning that the Congress had not lost its ideological moorings. It was suffering from problems of image which need to be corrected.

With the Congress president making critical references about the damage to the party’s secular credentials in her opening remarks, the draft is expected to have a strong reference to its commitment to secularism.

On economic affairs, after Dr Manmohan Singh came under attack from various quarters for liberalisation and its consequences, there was a general consensus that it should be adhered to but with a human face.

Mr Rajesh Pilot and Mr Vylar Ravi made an elaborate presentation highlighting some of the problems created by liberalisation. Mr Murli Deora, MP from Mumbai, strongly supported the reforms as did former Union Minister, Mr N.K.P. Salve.

On international affairs, the party’s draft decided to recommend to the government that it should not be in a hurry to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. This is in contrast to the earlier impression that the Congress may go easy on the government.

Noting party leaders' concern over deterioration of relations with India’s neighbours, the consensus was that the country should improve relations with neighbours, specially Pakistan.

Mr Pawar, who is a member of the international affairs panel, said the party would suggest encouraging people-to-people contact and other channels to improve the relations.

Though the discussion took note of the statement of the South African President, Dr Nelson Mandela, over mediation by NAM in solving the Jammu and Kashmir problem, the Congress was of the opinion that it was a result of the BJP government neglecting South Africa and Dr Mandela, an old friend of India.

Iran, Taliban gird for war

TEHERAN, Sept 5 (Reuters) — Iran’s state radio said today that Iran had the right under international law to take all necessary action against the Afghan Taliban, which it accuses of holding Iranian diplomats.

"Teheran has tried... to make the (United Nations) Security Council aware of a situation which can threaten international peace and security. After this process, Iran will have the right under Chapter 7, Article 51 of the UN Charter to take all necessary action in the context of legitimate defence," Teheran Radio said.

The radio commentary was broadcast at a time of heightening tension between Iran and the Taliban.

It followed reports that fighters of the purist Islamic militia ruling most of Afghanistan might have killed at least 10 Iranian diplomats and a journalist when it captured the northern opposition stronghold of Mazar-e-Sharif on August 8.

The Washington Post newspaper said US Intelligence analysts had warned the Pentagon and the White House that Iran was poised to send thousands of troops and attack aircraft into Afghanistan after tension between the neighbours reached breaking point. Iranian officials were not immediately available for comment on the report.

Iranian media said the bulk of a 70,000-man force which took part in three days of major military manoeuvres on the Afghan border this week would stay in the border area.

AFP adds from Washington: Iran has concentrated troops and aircraft on its border with Afghanistan and is preparing an "imminent" attack on the Taliban regime, The Washington Post reported today, quoting senior US defence and administration officials.

Iran began massing troops, tanks, missile batteries and heavy artillery in the region over the week under the cover of a military exercise, The Post reported.

"US analysts believe Iran wants to deny the Taliban recognition as a legitimate government of Afghanistan and is intent on breaking its hold over some territory it now controls."

The US officials believe that if fighting breaks out, it will be long and bloody, because neither country has a definite military advantage.

If a conflict erupts "we don’t have a favourite horse in this fight," The Post said.

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan’s Taliban militia has taken the unprecedented step of arming civilians in Nimroz province against possible attack from Iran or anti-Taliban fighters exiled there, an independent report said today.

It followed a huge Iranian military build-up along Afghanistan’s southwest border and tension fuelled by reports that its fighters killed Iranian diplomats in a drive to strengthen the student militia’s control of the country.

Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) said the Taliban had for the first time distributed weapons in the province, which borders Iran, after Teheran sent about 70,000 troops, aircraft, missile batteries and tanks last week for "military manoeuvres."

The Washington Post said US intelligence analysts warned the Pentagon and White House that Iran was poised to send thousands of troops and attack aircraft into Afghanistan.

But experts said they doubted that Iran would commit its own troops to any campaign within Afghanistan but would instead assist thousands of Shi’ite fighters exiled in Iran to weaken the Sunni Taliban’s claim to control the entire country.

"I don’t think Iran has to do anything. It has thousands of fighters exiled in Iran and all it has to do is rearm them and relaunch them," said Ahmed Rashid, a writer on Afghan affairs.

Meanwhile, the Taliban, is negotiating with Iran through Pakistani mediation over the return of the remains of 11 Iranian diplomats killed in Afghanistan, informed sources in Teheran said today.

Iran has so far not officially reacted to the reported killings.

The Taliban has forecast an imminent ground attack by Iran against Afghanistan. At least 35,000 Iranian troops together with jet fighters, tanks and rocket-launchers are reportedly deployed at the joint-border line in the north-eastern part of the country.