Sandesh Prabhudesai
22 December 1998
The Congress may shortly take a final decision to withdraw support to the Rashtriya Janata Dal government in Bihar, if indication given by party leader Madhavrao Scindia is taken seriously.
While maintaining that the decision would be ultimately taken at the Congress Working Committee meeting very soon, he however admits that most of the central party leaders support the stand taken by the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee to withdraw support and emerge as an independent force.
"Personally I feel we should stand on our own feet", says Scindia while also clarifying that the party is committed to respect feelings of the workers at local level which would be given maximum weightage while taking a decision in this regard, though Laloo Prasad Yadav wishes to continue the alliance.
During his visit here as the Goa desk in-charge, he also ruled out any possibility of forming an alliance with any party which claims of having bigger influence than the Congress. "We may think of an alliance exceptionally and only where we remain the major partner", he clarified.
Scindia however does not visualise any possibility of the Congress pulling down any government, whether at the centre or in the states like Bihar and pushing for mid-term polls, though he claims of the party being prepared to face any eventuality.
The CWC, he says, would also discuss threadbare the stand to be taken whether to form the government or prefer mid-term polls in case the BJP-led coalition government falls under its own weight. "There are contradictions developing within the BJP now, besides within the alliance", he points out.
Taking inspiration from the pro-Congress wave even in the Congress-ruled states like MP besides formerly BJP-ruled states like Delhi and Rajasthan, Scindia feels more stress needs to given to the strengthening of the party while establishing its base among the minorities, weaker sections and women folk by implementing the policy decisions regarding reservations taken recently.
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