Sonia helps faction-ridden Cong gain some lost ground

CHANDIGARH, October 13: It may be difficult to gauge the exact measure of the political mileage that Shamsher Singh Surjewala, former Pra...

CHANDIGARH, October 13: It may be difficult to gauge the exact measure of the political mileage that Shamsher Singh Surjewala, former Pradesh Congress Committee chief, may have drawn from yesterday’s visit of Congress President Sonia Gandhi. But the faction-ridden party seems to have gained at least some of the lost ground, if the mood of the thousands of people who had gathered at each place Sonia visited, is any indication.

Sonia won many a heart when she broke the security cordon to greet and mix with people, following the example of her late

husband Rajiv Gandhi. The people enthusiastically raised such slogans as “Sonia Gandhi Zindabad” and a villager at Bailerkhan was overheard saying, “Yun hove sain mhare leader” (Such are the leaders of the masses).

Sonia did succeed in bringing leaders of the three factions in the state Congress – PCC president Bhupinder Singh Hooda, former chief minister Bhajan Lal and former minister Birender Singh – on a common platform, making them keep aside their squabbles. But the acrimonious scenes between the supporters of Bhajan Lal and Hooda and Birender Singh during Sonia’s visit to Rohtak belied hopes of the factions having decided to close their ranks.

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There is varied reaction to what is being described as the “move for political survival” by Shamsher Singh Surjewala and his son Randeep Singh, in impressing upon the party chief to visit the villages where a large number of farmers had allegedly committed suicide following sustained economic hardships. A senior Congress leader told ENS on the condition of anonymity that the show was nothing less than a move to keep themselves politically afloat. Speaking to ENS, Surjewala described it as a political move for a genuine cause. He confirmed the authenticity of the suicide list, which had drawn flak from Congress leaders, including members of Jind District Congress Committee. A former sarpanch blamed the party leaders for not allowing him to meet Sonia because he had a list of at least 38 bogus names that figured in the suicide list prepared by Surjewala.

Political observers concede that Surjewala seems to have drawn some political mileage from the show by managing to send signals about his clout with Sonia in party circles. The ENS team saw Randeep Singh whispering to the villagers the details regarding “the cases and the loans" to be submitted to Sonia.

Birender Singh also managed to show his links when he managed to persuade the party chief to visit some of the families affected by floods in Sunderpur village of his Uchana constituency. Bhajan Lal too did not lag behind and helped arrange a short press meet with Sonia at Bailerkhan village. But observers feel that the faction leaders will have to close their ranks to sell the party to the people.