Barely hours after the controversy over UPCC president Rita Bahuguna Joshi?s allegedly derogatory remarks against UP chief minister Mayawati erupted, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday moved in swiftly to publicly disapprove of her comments and insulate the party from any adverse political fallout in the state, where it is trying to regain lost ground, especially among the scheduled castes.
The Congress this evening formally recorded its regret to the UP chief minister even as Sonia Gandhi expressed ?deep paind and anguish? over what had happened. ?The Congress stands for highest standards in public debate on issues that touch the people,? it said, adding that the party ?holds all women in the highest esteem and does not believe in crossing the limits of sobriety even in the most provocative of circumstances.
At a party meeting in Moradabad on Wednesday, Joshi, while taking on the BSP government on the issue of monetary compensation to rape victims, reportedly made personal references to Mayawati that were clearly unwarrranted. She was arrested late last night in Ghaziabad by the UP police, under provisions of the SC/ST act, while on her way to Delhi even as her house in Lucknow was torched allegedly in protest against her remarks.
Senior Congress leaders Digvijay Singh, general secretary in charge of UP as well as Janardhan Dwivedi addressed a press conference distancing the party from Joshi?s remarks, but were non-committal on whether further action against her would follow. ?She is in jail now, let her first come out. Then we will seek her clarification and then decide,? Dwivedi told reporters.
The swift Congress response, however, gives enough indication of its assessment that the controversy was not only unwanted but has the potential to adversely affect the party?s political fortunes in UP, where it was thought to be on the upswing in the wake of impressive performance in the Lok Sabha elections. That the non Congress parties too wanted to put a halt to the seeming strides of the Congress in UP too was apparent when the SP along with the BJP extended its backing to BSP members in the Lok Sabha, who launched an assault against Congress for humiliating Mayawati. BSP members forced adjournment of both houses of parliament on the issue, demanding an apology from the Congress on the floor of the house.
Much of the Congress response, however, seems to have been shaped by Sonia Gandhi?s determination to insulate the party from such unwanted controversies. There were divisions earlier in the day in the party with most Congress MPs from UP standing by Joshi. Jagdambika Pal told FE that the UPCC chief had already apologised to the UP chief minister but the latter was bent on deriving political mileage out of the issue.
Earlier, Mayawati dragged Sonia Gandhi into the episode slamming the her for ?silence? over her colleague?s controversial comments at a public meeting and not taking action.