The Congress is in an ideological flux. One immediate evidence of this is the letter Ms Sonia Gandhi, the president of the Congress, has written to the prime minister, Mr Manmohan Singh, on the subject of the free trade agreement between India and Asean. In this letter, Ms Gandhi has expressed concern over the adverse effect the agreement might have on Indian domestic farmers. She feels ? and she speaks for and on behalf of the Congress party ? that both the agricultural and manufacturing sectors should be strengthened through effective policy measures before being opened up to free trade. It is clear that this statement stands against some of the principal elements of the economic reforms agenda of which Mr Singh is the advocate. More than the economic logic, or the lack of it, in Ms Gandhi?s opposition to the free trade agreement what is significant is the politics that drives the hostility. The Congress president is obviously trying to extend and deepen the vote bank of her party. In Indian politics, there is no proven better way of doing this save through populism. Championing the cause of the domestic farmers against imports has a familiar populist ring to it, and economic reforms are not to be vote-winners. This positioning gives Ms Gandhi the advantage of donning the mantle of a campaigner of the poor. Another area where the flux is evident is the debate within the Congress and the government over reservations. Most members of the National Knowledge Commission set up by the government have spoken out against reservations. Here, too, a section of the Congress leadership, with Mr Arjun Singh, the minister for human resource development, being the most vocal, have come out as strong supporters of reservation. Ms Gandhi?s position on the matter is not clear but to date, she has not made any anti-reservation statements.

The silence on reservation, like the position on protecting domestic farmers, can only be read as a statement of a particular political posture. Ms Gandhi may be assuming that this might enhance the Congress?s image and thus brighten the party?s electoral prospects. The optimism embedded in the assumption may very well be misplaced. An ideological flux among leaders can only spell confusion within the organization. Ms Gandhi must allow Mr Singh to govern while she clears the ideological decks.