M A I N   N E W S

news analysis
Cong confident of riding out the latest storm
Anita Katyal/TNS

New Delhi, August 18
The latest CAG report on the allotment of coal blocks has placed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh directly in the firing line of the Opposition and yet the Congress appears far more self-assured in dealing with this crisis as compared to the furore which erupted after the revelations on the allocation of 2G spectrum.

The UPA government had then been pushed on the defensive, was forced to agree to the Oppostion’s demand for a JPC to look into the 2G spectrum scam and had to stand by as key ally DMK chief’s daughter Kanimozhi and party leader A Raja languished in jail.

The ruling coalition had also rushed to announce a number of anti-graft measures as Team Anna’s campaign for a strong Lokpal Bill had captured the imagination of an angry public which had, by then, lost faith in the Congress-led UPA government. There is no such urgency this time although there has been no significant improvement in the plummeting popularity ratings of the UPA government which remains under a cloud on account of a series of corruption charges and governance deficit.

Despite these negatives, the Congress is confident of riding out the latest storm. The party was quick to dismiss the BJP’s demand for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s resignation well aware that it will not be able to sustain its campaign against the PM whose personal integrity is not in doubt.

Even while demanding his resignation on Friday, BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley failed to acknowledge that the PM was corrupt. However, what the BJP does hope to do is to paint the PM as a weak and ineffective leader which, in turn, will erode the Congress party’s credibility.

The confidence in the Congress stems from the fact that BJP-ruled states of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and the Left Front government in West Bengal had opposed the Centre’s proposal to go in for competitive bidding in the allocation of coal blocks. Congress leaders point to the letters written by BJP chief ministers like Vasundhra Raje in which they wanted that New Delhi to continue with the ongoing policy of allocating coal blocks by a screening committee, whose members include representatives of state governments.

The Congress argues BJP governments were party to the decision which, according to CAG, resulted in windfall gains for private firms and a huge loss to the national exchequer. Moreover, the present policy was also followed by the NDA government when it was in power, the Congress pointed out.

“The BJP does not have leg to stand on in this case. It will make a noise for a few days and the issue will die down,” remarked a senior AICC functionary.

Congress confident

The confidence in the Congress stems from the fact that BJP-ruled states of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and the Left Front government in West Bengal had opposed the Centre’s proposal to go in for competitive bidding in the allocation of coal blocks.