Suddenly, there is a sense of disquiet among the Congressmen over the thin crowds the party president, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, has of late been able to attract. First, there was a rather meagre attendance at her Panjim rally; but nobody noticed because the Congress managed to increase its tally from 17 to 20 in the Goan Assembly of 40. Then, came the "flop show" at Varanasi; ... there were only 15,000. The poor run continued when she addressed an unimpressive rally in Gangtok ...

The question gnawing at the Congressmen's equanimity is whether Mrs. Gandhi is losing the crowds, and by implication, her touch? Is her curiosity value over? Is she still the vote-catcher..

More than Mrs. Gandhi's vote-getting magic, what is worrisome to some Congress leaders is that she no longer seems to invoke the kind of awe that everybody expected she would do, especially in the post-Sharad Pawar, new "Sonia Congress". Be it Uttar Pradesh or Bihar or any other State, the old familiar habit of factional cantankerousness has returned.

The bickering in UP in the aftermath of the Varanasi "flop show" is indicative of the new emerging mood. For example, Salman Khursheed, president of the UP Congress(I) Committee, took the extraordinary decision to go public with his denunciation of the other State leaders. So intemperate was Khursheed's attack on other leaders by name that it was described as "a breach of line of control"

The AICC(I) functionaries, of course, are busying giving excuses for poor turnouts at Mrs. Gandhi's recent meetings ... But. her body language and her delivery of written texts have distinctlv betrayed a lack of political self-assurance.

Perhaps Mrs. Gandhi's new diffidence has to do with the prevailing Kargilised-mood in the country ... Mrs. Gandhi is poorly placed to capitalise on the new nationalistic mood. It need be noted that Mrs. Gandhi's visits to the army hospitals and to. the homes of dead war heroes have failed to produce the requisite ambience of political sincerity.

And, this is the key strategic dilemma before the Congress. The conflict in Kargil will cast its shadow on the electorate's mood and behaviour in September/October poll; the question is whether Mrs. Gandhi would be perceived to be having the credentials to question Vajpayee's competence as a Prime Minister in these times of war in Kargil. There are creeping doubts whether she can lead the Congress to capture the commanding heights of the Indian nationalism in the months to come. .

What is more, even two months after the dissolution of the 12th Lok Sabha, the Congress has yet to put in place a "strategy group". There is no sense of urgency in the AICC(I) ...

Much of this directionlessness has to do with Mrs. Gandhi's preference in decision-making style. For example, any number of committees have been formed on any number of issues, but there is no official  announcement of any of these committees. Consequently, none of the senior or middle level leaders is comfortable about his or her place in the decision-making hierarchy.

With the result that there is no collective synergy. Or, for example, Mrs. Gandhi has been interacting in the last few days with groups of industrialists, retired armed officers, Dalit intellectuals, economists but there is just no follow-up because none of the AICC(I) functionaries is involved in the interaction.

All these predilections are getting reflected in the Congress reactions and reflexes; except reacting in a knee- jerk fashion to the Kargil developments and to bemoan the BJP's partisan attempts to make political capital out of the war-like situation, the Congress has yet to formulate a strategic response. These aberrations are felt by the Congressmen ... now that Mrs. Gandhi is not able to set the country on fire. (Source: The Hindu, 24 June, 1999)