BY BOSCO CELESTINE
By cracking whip on two of her party colleagues, the All India Congress Party (AICC) President Sonia Gandhi has sent a clear political message to two important parties in the country. While Sonia’s action has put the main opposition BJP on defensive tamper as congress has shown action against corruption, at the same time she has put her ally DMK chief Karunanidhi into catch -22 situation over the fate of A Raja.
Within span of 30 minutes of US President Barack Obama leaving India, Sonia cracked the whip. She telephoned Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan to submit his resignation to the Governor for his alleged involvement in the Adarsh Housing Society Scandal.
The next victim was the Chairman of the Organising Committee of the Commonwealth Games, Suresh Kalmadi. He was sacked from his post as Secretary of the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP).
With these actions, she has thrown a challenge to the main opposition-the Bharatiya Janata Party. How is it that Mr B S Yedurappa continues to remain Chief Minister of a State Where buying and selling of MLAs were taking place out in the open. Where does the money come from, is this not corruption, Congress leaders want to know.
She has also sent a strong political message to trusted ally-the DMK chief Karunanidhi to dump 2-G Spectrum Scamster A Raja to save the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance Government from further embarrassment and humiliation.
Sonia Gandhi is aware that the opposition having tasted blood will go for the kill. Party sources say that the political storm which the grand old party is facing, is not going to end with the sacking of two colleagues. They say Jaipal Reddy who is handling the Urban Development Ministry under which the Delhi Development Authority falls and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit who controls the New Delhi Municipal Corporation may also come under the axe.
Party sources say that more heads are bound to roll between now and Christmas. Even the bureaucrats will not be spared. The land mafia and politician nexus is too deep-rooted and therefore any action on that front has to wait for sometime.
At the Government level, Prithivaraj Chauhan who has been named next Chief Minister of Maharashtra has holding at least ten portfolios in the Prime Minister’s Office. These portfolios have to be distributed among several ministers as a stop-gap arrangement.
Once the winter session of parliament ends, three-day plenary session of the AICC starts on December 17. At this session, Sonia Gandhi in all likely will read the riot to her party men or face the consequences for landing 125-organisation in a terrible mess. She has not faced such a situation during her four term as Congress President. Sonia Gandhi has also realized that she has take some of the blame for the state of the drift in the Party.
Many political analysts are of the view that she has some what slowed down leaving everything to her son Rahul. The year 2010 has been bad year for Sonia Gandhi but one hopes that things would be set right in the New Year.