Congress leaders are concerned that the poll loss in Punjab and Uttarakhand could spell the beginning of a downward spiral for the party, unless correctives are applied.
NEW DELHI: Despite the brave front put up by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress leaders are concerned that the poll loss in Punjab and Uttarakhand could spell the beginning of a downward spiral for the party, unless correctives are applied.
Sonia Gandhi put up a brave front after the defeat and said: “It’s not unexpected and there is no reason to be despondent.” The brave words were not enough to quell the rising uneasiness within the Congress.
Most MP’s felt that apart from local issues and bad governance or infighting, it was the government’s failure to control prices that was costing the party dearly. “This is a problem that afflicts the entire country. Our fate depends on whether we manage the prices or not,” says Vinod Mishra party MP from Varanasi.
There is a growing feeling in the party that the government’s economic policies are benefiting only the business sector at the expense of the poor. “The NDA paid the price for being identified too close to the rich, if we only talk of SEZ’s and 9 per cent growth, without doing anything for the aam admi, I am afraid we might meet with the same fate,” says a Lok Sabha MP from Maharashtra.
The leaders have been voicing their concerns often. Last year some MP’s were so agitated over the issue that they even heckled the finance minister during the general budget last year and were pulled up by the party leadership.
Many believe that the defeat in Punjab and Uttrakhand is a warning and the government needs to go in a for a course correction. “The government must draw the right lessons and apply correctives. Unless we relieve the burden on the common man, we have a tough battle ahead,” says a Haryana MP.
Congress MP’s are hoping the correctives will begin with Chidambaram’s budget speech itself.
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