After Matang Singh, Sharief’s turn to talk about Sonia’s coterie

While Sharief, a party MP from North Bangalore, probably met the Congress president to “explain” his statements, which have drawn flak from the state party unit, he reportedly used the occasion to draw her attention to the coterie around her.

The senior leader is believed to have also advised her to convene a “Pachmarhi-type conclave” to review the party’s electoral and organisational strategies. This, he felt, was imperative if the party had to revive itself in the wake of its dismal performances.

He is also believed to have told Sonia that the so-called coterie of “sycophants” had isolated her from the rest of the party as it comprised leaders who had no “grassroots support.”

Some of the “discontented” CWC members who had met Sonia last month had also attacked the coterie for “misguiding” her on key political and party-related issues and had called for wider inputs from a cross-section of the party leadership to ensure greater transparency and accountability.

While making it clear to Sonia that his strong views should not be construed as a personal attack, Sharief is said to have conveyed to her that the Congress needed to improve its performance as an Opposition party both in Parliament and outside. It needed to focus more on setting the agenda rather than reacting to developments.

The former minister, who has kept a low profile of late, also suggested making the CWC more representative and ensuring that the party’s nationwide reach would be reflected in the composition of the its apex body.

Party circles view Sharief’s criticism of the current state of party affairs as part of a concerted effort by senior leaders to pressure Sonia to lead the party from the front and not let her be guided by “vested interests.”

In her bid to control dissidence, Sonia has over the last few weeks held a series of “damage-control” meetings with unhappy CWC members such as Jitendra Prasada, Rajesh Pilot, R K Dhawan and Vijayabhaskara Reddy.

Many leaders, some of whom have either quit or have been expelled from the party in recent days, while refraining from attacking Sonia directly, have held coterie politics as one of the prime reasons for the isolation of the party from the ground realities. The critics include former CWC member Meira Kumar, former Union minister Matang Singh and ex-superstar Rajesh Khanna.