Cong stance against Centre fuelled by frustration

The government’s standoff with the Congress party has only brought to the surface the underlying tension between the two sides over several issues.

It is no secret that top Congress leaders are upset with Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the “denial” of leader of opposition post, pressure on UPA-appointed governors to quit and the ongoing National Herald case in which Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi stand accused of financial irregularities.

Both Congress as well as BJP leaders said Rahul’s uncharacteristic outburst in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday was not a coincidence. Rahul said that “only one man’s voice counts for anything in the country” when Modi was present in the House.

Even as the Congress managers claimed that Rahul’s outburst signals the Congress’ new strategy to get its voice heard in Parliament, BJP leaders said Modi will not be affected by it. 

The PM sees the Congress’ act as signals of frustration because their top leaders feel beleaguered by the internal dissensions after its worst-ever performance in the Lok Sabha elections in which it won only 44 seats, BJP leaders said.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s  suggestion that the Congress is battling attempts at “a palace coup” and “trouble in their own home” underlined the BJP’s reading that Rahul’s act on Wednesday is related to the renewed clamour within the party for a prominent role to Priyanka Vadra.

After criticism from some Congressmen that Rahul was not taking enough lead to revive the party, both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have decided that the latter will lead the Congress charge on all major issues inside as well as outside Parliament, party sources said.

 As part of the new strategy, Rahul led protests in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday and even entered the Well of the House while demanding a discussion on the Communal Violence Bill. They also underlined the Congress’ new line of thinking according to which the party will cooperate with the government on legislative issues like the Insurance Bill only if the response to its demands was “positive”.

A day earlier, Rahul had overruled the views of Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh who had supported former finance minister P Chidambaram on backing the Insurance Bill as it was the UPA's “baby”.