Congress high command buys time

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, OCT. 30. The Congress Working Committee plea to the Government today for another States Reorganisation Commission assumes significance in view of the fact that the party's local units are supporting the demand for statehood to the Vidarbha and Telengana regions. The Congress high command has been under pressure from them for sometime now to take a stand on the issue.

In the resolution adopted by the CWC, the party said ``that the reorganisation of the existing States raises a large number of issues, and the committee feels that the whole matter can be addressed by another States Reorganisation Commission to be set up by the Government''.

The Congress president, Ms. Sonia Gandhi had set up a high- powered committee headed by Mr. Pranab Mukherjee to look into the demands of creation of smaller States. Besides Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, the other members of the committee were Dr. Manmohan Singh, the late Madhavrao Scindia, Mr. Arjun Singh, Ms. Ambika Soni, and Mr. Oscar Fernandes.

In Vidharba the campaign is being led by several of the party's top leaders from the region like Mr. Ranjit Deshmukh, Mr. N.K.P. Salve and Mr. Vilas Muttemwar. The issue had led to a lot of heartburn in the State unit and the Chief Minister, Mr. Vilasrao Deshmukh did not take kindly to it. He even dropped Mr. Ranjit Deshmukh from his Cabinet because of this.

The party's appeal to the Government to set up another Commission is being viewed as an attempt by the party to buy time and avoid taking a decision on the contentious issue. The leadership is aware that if the demand is conceded it could open the flood gates for similar demands from other places.

At the three-hour meeting, several members expressed concern at the heightening communal tension in the country and it was decided to advise the Congress Chief Ministers to be extra vigilant.

On the Government's move to switch over from secret ballot to open ballot in the Rajya Sabha elections, party spokesperson, Mr. Jaipal Reddy said the party would take a formal view once the Bill came up before the House. However, it is reliably learnt that the dominant view was to oppose open ballot.

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