Kesri's clever move caught Pawar, Pilot napping

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

A couple of days before the Congress presidential poll, as Maharashtra strongman Sharad Pawar was spewing venom against Congress president Sitaram Kesri, the latter made a clever move.

Kesri summoned a few senior party leaders and encouraged them to tell Pawar that the Maharashtra strongman would receive the state units's support in the eleventh hour. Elated by the gesture, Pawar promised these leaders top party posts after his election as the party chief. However, little did he realise that the partymen would carry the tale to Kesri.

As Pawar started realising his blunder, Congress leaders Jitendra Prasada, J B Patnaik and Arjun Singh warned him that he should consider himself lucky if he received more than 10 per cent of the votes. Even Pilot was told that he was the least fancied presidential candidate and would get the least number of votes.

Worried about their future, Pawar and Pilot began building bridges with the Kesri camp three days before the poll results were announced. Significantly, while adopting a conciliatory stance, they told mediapersons that they suspected foul-play in the poll.

As party presidential poll results started pouring in on Thursday, Pawar discreetly informed Kesri through ''intermediaries'' that he had conceded defeat and that he would extend full support to the party chief. Significantly, Pawar released a press statement at 6 pm on Thursday stating, ''We face a challenging task of revitalising the Congress. We must ensure total unity among the ranks without ignoring any section of the party.''

However, Kesri has given enough clues that is in no mood to forget the defeated candidates's outbursts against him. Apparently giving a fitting reply to Pawar and Pilot's view that his whimsical actions like withdrawing support to the Deve Gowda government were ruining the party, Kesri said during his victory speech, ''This decision has been fully vindicated by partymen who overwhelmingly voted for me.''

Kesri's plans are confirmed by the Congress office-bearers appointed by him. He is out to clip the wings of those who unleashed a vicious campaign against him prior to the presidential poll, they said.

While Pilot is likely to lose his Congress Working Committee membership, Pawar may retain his post as the Congress leader in the Lok Sabha only if he demonstrates his commitment for the job, party officials pointed out.

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