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Shaken by rising public anger against inflation and corruption, Congress is examining the possibility of offering a Dalit leader as its candidate for Prime Minister instead of Rahul Gandhi. Such a finesse would dilute the prospective blame on Rahul in case the party is defeated badly, and simultaneously build a bridge with Dalits, a core Congress constituency that has abandoned the party and gone towards Mayawati in a crucial state like Uttar Pradesh.
Electorally, there has been nothing but bad news for Congress. The humiliating defeat of Saket Bahuguna in Uttarakhand, and Abhijit Mukherjee's low margin of victory in West Bengal confirm a depressing trend. Pranab Mukherjee had a margin of nearly 128,000 votes in 2009; his son Abhijit won by only 2,536 votes. Saket Bahuguna is son of the Chief Minister, Vijay Bahuguna. Both were "prestige" contests. Mamata Banerjee did not put up a candidate, and supported Congress out of respect for the President.
The Congress was very hopeful of doing well in Gujarat this time, but with corruption becoming a dominant issue, its confidence is fading. Its leader in Himachal Pradesh, Virbhadra Singh, has just been accused of corruption in a case where a steel company, Ispat Steel, has been alleged to have regularly made off-book cash payments to officers and others in key ministries. The Congress has already packed its Himachal candidates list with Singh loyalists.
A series of corruption scandals, beginning with Shashi Tharoor's unwise involvement in the T20 competition through a Kochi team, and culminating in Salman Khurshid's embarrassing association with defalcation of funds meant for Uttar Pradesh's handicapped children, has traumatized the Congress. Along the way have been heavyweight scams such as in telecom and the distribution of coal blocks, both exposed by CAG. CAG has also confirmed malfeasance in the Khurshid story.
There is no relief on inflation either, since many of the decisions taken on the reforms agenda have only pushed up prices. Diesel prices have a larger impact on the economy. Two days later, the price of urea was also pushed up, hitting the farmer directly.
The stain of corruption has also delayed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's much-promised Cabinet reshuffle. Instead of adding talent, of which there is little to begin with, the PM can only watch helplessly as those who have been promoted slip on their own banana peels, like Salman Khurshid. A vital ally like DMK has shown its disdain for Congress by refusing additional Cabinet berths. A loyal partner like Sharad Pawar has told his party to prepare for early general elections, since he believes that Mayawati will soon decide to withdraw support to UPA.
Shaken Congress may opt for
So now, Ms. Meira Kumar, will be filling the seat of PM & carrying forward the "silent" legacy of Manmohan Singh. While Rahul Gandhi will take place of Sonia Gandhi, if UPA wins 2014 elections
Electorally, there has been nothing but bad news for Congress. The humiliating defeat of Saket Bahuguna in Uttarakhand, and Abhijit Mukherjee's low margin of victory in West Bengal confirm a depressing trend. Pranab Mukherjee had a margin of nearly 128,000 votes in 2009; his son Abhijit won by only 2,536 votes. Saket Bahuguna is son of the Chief Minister, Vijay Bahuguna. Both were "prestige" contests. Mamata Banerjee did not put up a candidate, and supported Congress out of respect for the President.
The Congress was very hopeful of doing well in Gujarat this time, but with corruption becoming a dominant issue, its confidence is fading. Its leader in Himachal Pradesh, Virbhadra Singh, has just been accused of corruption in a case where a steel company, Ispat Steel, has been alleged to have regularly made off-book cash payments to officers and others in key ministries. The Congress has already packed its Himachal candidates list with Singh loyalists.
A series of corruption scandals, beginning with Shashi Tharoor's unwise involvement in the T20 competition through a Kochi team, and culminating in Salman Khurshid's embarrassing association with defalcation of funds meant for Uttar Pradesh's handicapped children, has traumatized the Congress. Along the way have been heavyweight scams such as in telecom and the distribution of coal blocks, both exposed by CAG. CAG has also confirmed malfeasance in the Khurshid story.
There is no relief on inflation either, since many of the decisions taken on the reforms agenda have only pushed up prices. Diesel prices have a larger impact on the economy. Two days later, the price of urea was also pushed up, hitting the farmer directly.
The stain of corruption has also delayed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's much-promised Cabinet reshuffle. Instead of adding talent, of which there is little to begin with, the PM can only watch helplessly as those who have been promoted slip on their own banana peels, like Salman Khurshid. A vital ally like DMK has shown its disdain for Congress by refusing additional Cabinet berths. A loyal partner like Sharad Pawar has told his party to prepare for early general elections, since he believes that Mayawati will soon decide to withdraw support to UPA.
Shaken Congress may opt for
So now, Ms. Meira Kumar, will be filling the seat of PM & carrying forward the "silent" legacy of Manmohan Singh. While Rahul Gandhi will take place of Sonia Gandhi, if UPA wins 2014 elections
