Congress president Sitaram Kesari was unanimously elected as the leader of the Congress Party in Parliament yesterday. Rajesh Pilot and Jagannath Mishra spoke of the need for internal democracy at the CPP meeting, but finally allowed a unanimous election.
Kesari immediately dismissed the recent talk of the party withdrawing its support to the HD Deve Gowda government. His aides and other MPs spoke in private of the likelihood of Kesari becoming the prime minister, but he evidently wants to surprise Gowda when he is ready to pull the rug.
Kesari said the support to Gowda would continue, but it was unfortunate that the nation was ruled by a coalition of so many parties while the Congress, which had inherited the mantle at independence was too weak.
By promptly nominating Sharad Pawar as the leader of the party in the Lok Sabha and seating his predecessor, PV Narasimha Rao, next to him at the CPP meeting, Kesari tried to pull the party together after weeks of internal attrition, first to oust Rao and then over the succession.
Kesari announced Pawar's appointment in response to a demand from the floor by Mamata Bannerjee at the end of his speech. Pawar later denied that he had made a deal with Kesari before supporting his candidature at the meeting of the Congress Working Committee on Wednesday.
Pawar and his supporters seemed pleased with the outcome but the cracks between Kesari's backers and Rao's has at best been papered over. Kesari's aides, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ahmed Patel, sat on either side of Rao loyalist SS Ahluwalia, virtually holding him down during yesterday's meeting. Clearly, they expected trouble.
Rao obviously knew he was defeated, though. He handed Kesari a bouquet as soon as he entered, thumped the table for his election and his speech and then refused to answer reporters' questions. Many of those who have backed Rao sat hunched with wan smiles to one side of the hall, behind SB Chavan and Pranab Mukherjee.
Pilot, who had held out for a secret ballot, and Mishra, who has given the most vigorous voice to that demand, strongly made their points, sarcastically suggesting that the party constitution be amended to make the elevation of the party chief as CPP leader automatic. Mishra said no.
MP would speak openly against the candidature of the Congress president and that no one had sought a secret ballot when Indira Gandhi or Rao were elected by the same method as was used yesterday.
The CWC had asked party MPs to meet CWC observers Manmohan Singh and Nawal Kishore Sharma one by one from 9 am to express their views. Singh reported to the meeting that 121 Lok Sabha and 68 Rajya Sabha members of the 223 CPP members who were eligible spoke to them and the consensus was in favour of Kesari.
Ten Lok Sabha and 13 Rajya Sabha members did not either meet them or send any explanation. These included Kesari and Rao.
Among those who met the observers was Rao's son, PV Rajeshwar Rao. So did a number of those who had signed a memorandum a few days ago in support of a secret ballot. His name was formally proposed by Pawar, K Karunakaran, Pranab Mukherjee and Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy. It was seconded by Vayalar Ravi, Nurul Islam, Jitendra Prasada and Frida Topno.
G Venkat Swamy presided. He and Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy had hoped to be appointed as the party leader in the Lok Sabha.
Most of the party chief ministers and PCC presidents were present and most of the senior party leaders rushed to congratulate Kesari at the end of the meeting.
