Sonia to revamp House panel, Pawar sidelined

As part of her strategy to intensify the Congress attack, she has decided to revamp her team in Parliament and the party’s media department. A core group, comprising members of Parliament loyal to the Gandhi family, has been constituted to formulate a day-to-day strategy to attack the Government on its failures.

The CPP now also has the Political Affairs Committee, Executive Committee and Legislature Affairs Committee. Pawar is a member of all the committees, but not the core group. P Shiv Shankar, a vocalMember of Parliament, has been made convenor of the core group, which includes Kamal Nath, Kapil Sibal, P J Kurien, Vyalar Ravi, Ajit Jogi and others. Gandhi is understood to be so upset with party’s inability to seize the opportunity provided by the Bhagwat issue that she has virtually taken charge of the affair. At a meeting of the party’s political affairs committee this morning, she indicated that nothing short of a Joint Parliamentary Committee would be acceptable, and it must discuss the naval chief’s dismissal.

Pawar, though a former defence minister, does not figure in the list of MPs to speak on the Bhagwat issue on Wednesday. Former Lok Sabha Speaker P A Sangma has been asked to initiate the debate to be followed by Madhavrao Scindia, Rajesh Pilot, Kamal Nath and others.

Gandhi loyalists say Pawar had ample opportunity to raise the Bhagwat issue in Parliament all these weeks. Even when Bhagwat levelled charges of corruption against Defence Minister George Fernandes, Pawar opted to keep quiet.Had it been Fernandes in Pawar’s place, he would have brought the proceedings in Parliament to a halt, they say.

Sources say one of the reasons for Pawar going soft on the Bhagwat issue is his friendship with Fernandes, which dates to Fernandes’ days as leader of the Mumbai Taximen’s Union. A few weeks ago, Pawar allowed the Nehru Centre in Mumbai to be used by Fernandes for a book release.Fernandes is also allegedly scuttling an enquiry into the failed 1991 Yugoslavian tank deal, when Pawar was Defence Minister.

Sonia Gandhi, say sources, was also surprised to learn that Pawar agreed to the proposal that the 140-member Congress be represented by him alone in the informal Lok Sabha committee set up to enquire into the Bhagwat episode. The composition of the committee clearly showed that it was heavily in favour of those who did not want a discussion on Bhagwat’s dismissal.

Gandhi is also unhappy with the functioning of the media department headed by Shivraj Patil, and is learnt to have decided toutilise the former Lok Sabha speaker’s services in the intellectual sphere’.