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Jaiswal clears path for Sonia

Uttar Pradesh Congress president Sri Prakash Jaiswal is conducting a campaign to ensure that outspoken party colleague Jitendra Prasada does not significantly hinder Sonia Gandhi's re-election as party chief.

"Jaiswal is enlisting support in our party for the perceived uncontested re-election of Sonia as Congress president. His efforts include the delicate task of ensuring that Prasada becomes toothless in his challenge to Madame for the party chief's post," said a former party parliamentarian from Uttar Pradesh.

He, however, pointed out that Prasada has his "own constituency in the state'' and that the new Uttar Pradesh Congress satrap had a formidable assignment in curtailing the former's activities.

He pointed out that Operation Contain Prasada while being handled by Jaiswal also has as "co-conspirators" ousted UPCC chief Salman Khursheed, veteran party member N D Tiwari and central party stalwart Arjun Singh.

He said the party leadership's overriding concern was that Sonia should be re-elected uncontested, not only for the sake of prestige but to show Prasada who the boss is.

All India Congress Committee sources said that Prasada acolyte Begum Noor Bano, who had recently unsuccessfully contested the election for the Congress parliamentary party secretary's post, had complained to Jaiswal about alleged unfair means being adopted in the state unit.

She has apprised the new UPCC chief that efforts were on to foist bogus membership in the state to snuff out any challenge to Sonia's re-election. Jaiswal is understood to have assured her that he will take all measures to rectify the situation.

Bano's assertion has made it obvious that Sonia's critics do not wish the party chief's re-election to go unchallenged. Significantly, undeterred by moves to clip his wings, Prasada has embarked on fashioning strategic alliances to ensure that he has substantial support within the Congress to stand up to the Sonia camp.

Khursheed told rediff.com, "Bano was opposed to my appointment as UPCC chief. " There is no love lost between the two, both members of the minority community. Both claim to have substantial support among community members. The only difference is that while Khursheed is a known Sonia loyalist, Bano's loyalties are with Prasada.

In a counter-move, Prasada is enlisting the support of Congress leaders like Vidya Charan Shukla, K Karunakaran, A B A Ghani Khan Chowdhury, Sarfraz Ahmed and former party chiefs Sitaram Kesri and P V Narasimha Rao in his fight against the Sonia.

"Going by traditional political equations, Sonia's enemies automatically become Prasada's friends," said party leader Waseem Ahmed. Ahmed, however, did not wish to be perceived as belonging to either faction. He said the party chief's hands should be strengthened, considering the party's overall interests.

As in the past, various Congress leaders are scrambling for consolidating their holds before organisational elections. While Sonia is exclusively concentrating on her re-election, the others are busy cancelling each other's prospects while simultaneously paying obeisance to the party chief in the hope that she will reward them after being re-elected.

On the vanguard of such a game-plan is senior leader and Congress working committee member Arjun Singh. On Tuesday, he projected the impression to reporters that he would not contest CWC elections to give younger elements a chance. But he made no comments about the possibility of Sonia putting him in the nominated component of the party's apex decision-making body.

Bano told reporters that Arjun Singh is mainly ensconced at 10 Janpath not only to enhance Sonia's prospects for re-election but tightening his hold on her, much to the discomfiture of her erstwhile advisors like senior party leader from Gujarat Ahmed Patel. Patel has told followers that he holds Arjun responsible for his "gradual marginalisation".

With the Congress president's election scheduled for November 1, there are about five weeks left for the major players to up their ante. But it is becoming apparent that the Congress organisational polls will be peppered with all spice and excitement given the abundance of conspiracies and counter-conspiracies.

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