Published: Sunday, Apr 4, 2010, 0:37 IST
By Harish Gupta | Place: New Delhi | Agency: DNA
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/analysis_sonia-gandhi-in-the-prime-monitor-s-office_1367115
As the head of the National Advisory Committee, Sonia Gandhi will now get to play a direct role in policy formulation. What exactly does this mean for the power equation between the PM and the president of the Congress party?
Adapting a popular Hindi film song, a senior Congress minister close to Sonia Gandhi smiled and said with a twinkle in his eye, “All is not well.” But he would say no more on the subject that has got the power circles in Lutyens’ Delhi wondering: Is there a larger message behind the revival of the National Advisory Council (NAC) with Sonia Gandhi as its chairperson? Are there policy differences brewing between the Congress leadership and the government?
The NAC was first constituted as a sort of ‘super cabinet’ in 2004, after Sonia turned down the prime minister’s job and nominated Manmohan Singh instead. It was seen as the Congress’ interface with civil society and NGOs and was responsible for formulating flagship social sector schemes such as the Right to Information (RTI), the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA).
The NAC ceased to be functional in 2006 after the ‘office of profit’ controversy. But why is it back, one year after the UPA-II came to power?
There is a sense in the party that the UPA government has lost sight of its aam aadmi focus. It has not only failed to rein in prices, but has also been hinting at how the government cannot afford to provide for the massive funds required to provide food for all BPL families. The PMO’s stress on economic reform and foreign policy has led to a renewed perception that the prime minister is not sufficiently ‘political’ to realise the implications once the aam aadmi gets out of “hand”.
The rise and rise of Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh is also being viewed in this light. Jairam has taken on several heavyweights in the government recently and it is being speculated he could not have done this without the High Command’s support, particularly at a time when his Rajya Sabha term is ending and he is seeking re-election.
Airport conflict
Shortly after taking over, Jairam had shot down the Navi Mumbai airport proposal, saying the site would lead to destruction of precious mangroves. This brought him into direct conflict not only with Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel but also with the South Block. The Navi Mumbai airport file had already been cleared by the PMO. An irritated prime minister reportedly asked a senior aide: “Can a minister stop a proposal after I have cleared it?”
On the BT brinjal issue, Jairam took on a gamut of senior ministers - including Sharad Pawar, Kapil Sibal and Prithviraj Chavan - and a powerful MNC lobby. Yet again it was suggested that he does not see eye-to-eye with the PMO.
Even so, he shelved the introduction of BT brinjal, travelling around the country and seeking the opinion of the civil society which he knew was against the proposal. It was a method that was bound to appeal to Rahul Gandhi, who is keen to get inputs on development issues from outside the cosy club of Delhi’s policy-makers.
This week, Jairam turned his fire on Highways Minister Kamal Nath, accusing the National Highways Authority of India of not being environment-friendly. Jairam has a history of conflict with Nath (see box) and has said nyet to the building of a highway stretch in Chhindwara (Nath’s constituency in Madhya Pradesh) on the grounds that it will disturb a reserve forest.
More importantly, at a time when the PMO is hoping to roll out billions of dollars worth of infrastructure projects using the PPP (public-private partnership) route, Jairam has indicated that green concerns will be paramount. The minister is sitting on 166 major projects, say sources.
The removal of MK Narayanan as national security adviser (NSA) and the transference of the job of overseeing intelligence agencies to Home Minister P Chidambaram was an indicator that “all is not well” somewhere. The new NSA, Shiv Shankar Menon, is working strictly on foreign policy.
The awarding of a Padma Bhushan to controversial NRI hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal also created a tricky situation for the PM. It was the first time that the prime minister - a very correct man, with an unimpeachable reputation - attracted an unseemly controversy. The Chatwal case was sought to be blamed on TKA Nair, principal secretary in the PMO. There were also suggestions that Nair may be ‘promoted’ as governor of a state. However, the prime minister stood his ground on the whole issue. So far so good.
The nomination of Mani Shankar Aiyar to the Rajya Sabha in the eminent person’s category was also seen as Sonia asserting her authority. Rajya Sabha elections for about 40 seats are due this summer and Aiyar could easily have been accommodated. Yet, by choosing to put Aiyar - who has been critical of Manmohan’s economic and foreign policies - on the President’s list, the Congress chief was sending an unmistakable message.
It is in this context that Sonia’s return as head of the NAC becomes important. Her future plans (see box) can only be guessed, but as NAC chair she will have the authority to summon ministers and secretaries and play a direct role in policy formulation. The
division of labour between the political and administrative wings of the government is narrowing.
Harish Gupta is DNA’s national editor based in New Delhi
