Congress sounds poll bugle on waiver pitch

Congress on Sunday consecrated the "Rs 65,000 crore farm loan waiver" as its plank for the coming electoral battles, with party chief Sonia Gandhi taking centrestage to call it the party's "duty" towards farmers and PM Manmohan Singh urging workers to tell "each and every farmer" about mega debt relief as gift from Sonia.

That Congress would play big on the multicrore debt relief was evident even before the finance minister unveiled it in his Budget speech on February 29. But the sharp pitch of Sunday's farmers' rally in the capital and the volley of self-congratulatory statements left little doubt that UPA's final budget was an election manifesto.

Not only were both Sonia and Singh ballistic on Congress's concern for farmers, they were also belligerent in blaming the BJP for farm sickness. So much so that Sonia dubbed the saffron show of concern as shedding "crocodile tears".

Though she was blunt at critics in saying they were like the "pot calling the kettle black", the statement was just ambiguous enough to include in its broad sweep the Left and UNPA, who have joined hands to target the Centre on farmers' issues. The bid to appropriate the community saw Sonia assert the party ahead of the coalition: "If somebody is really concerned about farmers, it is us, Congress, UPA government."

Farmers apart, the rally's consequence lay in Sonia Gandhi choosing to touch on terrorism, believed to be the party's soft spot. Sonia said Congress did not care for a certificate from a home minister who was in charge during the worst terror strikes in the country's history and "extended hospitality" to terror agents. Though she stopped barely short of naming BJP's PM candidate LK Advani, Congress appears to be veering towards playing a budget-rejuvenated 'aam admi' against the saffron poll plank of terror in elections. Interestingly, the nuclear deal was not mentioned by any leader.

Enveloped in negativity owing to a string of poll defeats and backing down to Left's aggression to visible deflation of morale of its cadres, Congress managers feel that the loan waiver has resulted in a goodwill among rural poor which, if tapped well, can mark a turnaround in its fortunes.

News Source : Samachar