Sonia: Campaign path laid

Patna, Jan. 30: Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who will enter Bihar tomorrow to address three public meetings in the next two days, faces a piquant situation, perhaps for the first time ever in an election campaign.

She will not speak ? Congress leaders repeatedly stress this ? against the ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal and its leader Laloo Prasad Yadav, leave aside the government?s ?poor? development record or the state?s ?poor? law and order situation.

The strange posturing in which the opponent cannot be attacked comes when the AICC chief is just back from lambasting the ruling party in Haryana and chief minister Om Prakash Chautala. She charged Chautala not only with being mired in corruption and promoting ?dynastic rule? but also with failing on the development front and in providing security to the people.

The RJD, a crucial part of the UPA government, has decided not to field candidates from 12 of the 243 seats against the Congress. The stability of the Union government is the reason why the Congress, which would contest around 80 seats, has decided not to attack the RJD in Bihar.

The meetings ? at Buxar, Arrah and Bhagalpur ? have been carefully crafted because the BJP?s sitting MLAs are trying to retain the three seats and each constituency has a Congress nominee too. The RJD has fielded its candidate from Arrah and Bhagalpur, while its ally CPM has a nominee in Buxar.

The Congress? campaign so far has been three-pronged ? attack the ?communal? NDA, talk aloud about what the party would do for the development of Bihar and focus on the social composition of a constituency to ?influence? the voting pattern.

?We know it is uncomfortable to be in a position when you cannot defend or attack the incumbent regime but we do not have a choice. The nation?s interest and the stability of the UPA government come first. Privately, however, we would like to criticise the RJD government,? a senior Congress leader said.

The NDA has tried to play up the Congress? dilemma and asserted that a vote for the Congress is a vote for the RJD, which has ?ruined? Bihar in the past 15 years. ?The voter is aware of the trap that the Congress has laid. He will show the party its rightful position,? senior BJP leader Ravishankar Prasad said.

But AICC member and in-charge of Bihar, Harikesh Bahadur, has claimed that the party and its president have a lot to talk about. ?We have a blueprint for Bihar?s development and would like to take it to the voters. We have taken a positive view of the situation and the supreme sacrifice of our leader is for everyone to see. We expect to be a crucial part of the new government in Bihar,? he said.

RJD leaders have refrained from commenting on the Congress? decision to contest around 80 seats in Bihar, many of these against them as well. ?We are two different parties and have a limited understanding concerning 12 seats. What the AICC president talks about is that party?s independent decision,? an RJD leader said.

Ram Vilas Paswan?s Lok Janshakti Party has a more ?clear? understanding because it will not contest any of the seats where the Congress will field its candidates.