Sonia makes emotional appeal to PCC delegates

NEW DELHI, NOV 6: Congress chief Sonia Gandhi today decided to fend off challenger Jitendra Prasada's bogey of inner-party democracy and c...

NEW DELHI, NOV 6: Congress chief Sonia Gandhi today decided to fend off challenger Jitendra Prasada’s bogey of inner-party democracy and coterie politics with an emotional appeal to partymen to act with “dignity, maturity and restraint” while voting to elect the party president.

In a letter despatched to all PCC delegates who form the electoral college for this election, Sonia said: “You are aware of the two devastating tragedies that all but shattered my world. The assassinations of Indiraji and Rajivji caused me unutterable grief and pain. During those dark days, months and years the affection and love of millions of Congress workers helped me and my family to live through these traumas.”

She sought to “remind” her partymen that it was they who brought her to head the party. “Accepting an active political role was not easy for me. And yet, I could not disregard the call of millions of our co-workers to take on the daunting task of fulfilling the dreams of our beloved departed leaders.”

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In an obvious reference to Prasada and the issues raised by him, the party chief said: “Freedom of speech does not mean the freedom to abuse; tolerance should not be mistaken for weakness. Words have to match action and action should be inspired by imaginative policies and programmes.”

Significantly, Sonia also promised that she would find more important roles for the younger generation in the party. The party under her has often been criticised of relying too much on ageing leaders well past their prime, stifling the next generation of leadership. “A majority of our members are young. They are our strength. They have talent and the capacity to work hard. We have to find ways to give them leadership roles.”

With Sonia’s impassioned plea, the contest has taken an emotional hue since she has made it more than apparent that the challenge to her leadership is unfair, going by the sacrifices of the Nehru-Gandhi family. Her letter virtually exhorts partymen to teach Prasada a lesson for having dared to question her authority.

Sonia’s political managers obviously know that when it comes to the Nehru-Gandhi family, Congressmen better understand the emotional language rather than the nitty-gritty of an action plan to rejuvenate the party. And making this way to partymen’s hearts is not new to her. In May last year when Sharad Pawar and P.A. Sangma had raised the banner of revolt against her foreign origin, Sonia had dramatically resigned from the party president’s post and retreated to 10, Janpath. It took a specially-convened AICC session to cajole her back to leading the party again.