M A I N   N E W S

Coal fire: Sonia firms up plan to take BJP head-on
Anita Katyal
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 1
Congress president Sonia Gandhi went abroad today for a medical check-up but only after she had laid down the roadmap for the party’s counter-offensive against the BJP on the coal blocks controversy. She is expected to return in a week.

Her departure was preceded by a flurry of activity. Having been at the forefront of the UPA attack ever since the monsoon session of Parliament commenced, the Coalgate scam has further pushed Sonia Gandhi into taking a proactive role in leading the Congress charge.

She held a string of meetings with senior party leaders over the past two days to firm up the party strategy as the BJP remains adamant on disrupting Parliament till Prime Minister Manmohan Singh resigns.

Sonia Gandhi held a strategy session with senior ministers on Friday afternoon which was followed by a meeting of the Congress core group at night soon after the Prime Minister’s return from Tehran. She subsequently called on President Pranab Mukherjee and spent nearly an hour discussing the coal blocks crisis with him. She also took the initiative of reaching out to Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj in a bid to end the impasse in Parliament. Since the BJP remains unyielding, Congress strategists decided there would be no let-up in its counter-attack.

Having slowed down after her surgery last year, Sonia Gandhi has been pushed into playing a leading role in managing the latest crisis as Pranab Mukherjee’s move to the Rashtrapati Bhawan has left her without a competent political manager. No other senior leader can really measure up to Mukherjee’s stature. This is particularly so as Sushil Kumar Shinde, who replaced Mukherjee as the new Lok Sabha leader, has proved to be inadequate in handling a political crisis of this nature.

While pushing the party into attack mode, Sonia ensured that the allies and supporting parties did not desert the UPA camp and join the Opposition chorus for the PM’s resignation.

Leading the charge

• The AICC chief has laid down the roadmap for the party’s counter-offensive against the BJP on the coal blocks controversy
• Sonia met her senior ministers on Friday afternoon which was followed by a meeting of the Congress core group at night soon after the PM’s return from Tehran
• She also called on President Pranab Mukherjee and spent nearly an hour discussing the coal crisis with him. She even reached out to Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj in a bid to end the House logjam.

De-allocation of coal blocks: Govt sets deadline

New Delhi, September 1
Pushed by an upset Prime Minister's Office, the government has set a deadline for September 15 to initiate action on de-allocation of coal mines to many of the 58 allottees who have been issued show-cause notices.

The Coal Ministry got into action to expedite the process of de-allocating blocks ahead of Monday’s Inter-Ministerial Group meeting.

The PMO had conveyed its displeasure to the ministry over inaction in cancelling the blocks where mining has not taken place. — PTI