Home > News > Report
Political accountability is Sonia's buzzword
Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi |
May 23, 2003 02:20 IST
Political accountability is going to be the buzzword during the Congress party conclave in Srinagar on May 30-31.
"Along with other issues, political accountability will help fashion our electoral strategy for the assembly elections," party leader Mohan Prakash told rediff.com.
"Ever since she began this process in the previous conclaves, the party chief ministers have been on their toes. She is very particular that there are no hitches or glitches. They have been told that they have to deliver and there is no other option," he said.
The Congress held its first two conclaves in Delhi, followed by the third in Guwahati and the fourth in Mount Abu.
In the previous conclaves, Sonia laid emphasis on good governance and asked party chief ministers to 'either shape up or ship out'.
Congress insiders said the chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Chhattisgarh (Digvijay Singh, Ashok Gehlot, Sheila Dikshit and Ajit Jogi respectively) will have to convince the party chief that they are fully equipped to face the polls.
Explaining the reason for choosing the cool climes of Srinagar for the conclave, Prakash said, "The Bharatiya Janata Party has been asking what the Congress stand on coalition government is. By holding the meet in Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir has a Congress-PDP coalition government), our party leadership has made it obvious (that it favours coalition government)."
Prakash said the newly constituted Kashmir Committee headed by Manmohan Singh and comprising Ambika Soni and Ahmed Patel among others will also have a meeting during the conclave.
Party insiders indicated the conclave will discuss the party strategy on the Kashmir issue, especially in the context of the recent thaw in the Indo-Pak ties.
Sonia has been critical of the BJP-led central government's Kashmir policy, but thrown her party's weight behind it at crucial junctures.