BHARAT BALLOT 09: SONIA GANDHI SOUNDS ELECTION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 000247 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR KDEM IN SUBJECT: BHARAT BALLOT 09: SONIA GANDHI SOUNDS ELECTION BUGLE, IS INDIA LISTENING? ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi kicked off her party's 2009 parliamentary campaign on February 9 articulating three broad themes: safeguarding secularism, inclusive economic growth and the fight against terror. Speaking to a conclave of Congress Party functionaries, Gandhi trumpeted the achievements of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition over the last five years and attacked the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). She called the Indo-U.S. Civil Nuclear Initiative, "one of the most important achievements" of this government. Foreign Minister Mukherjee and Home Minister Chidambaram also spoke to the rally focusing their comments on terrorism and Pakistan. The political classes have clearly started gearing up for the April-May elections, but without a deep animating issue (as evidenced by Gandhi's well-worn rhetoric) or a juicy head-to-head personality clash, the Indian public has yet to take much notice. End Summary. Safeguarding Secularism -------------- ¶2. (U) Launching the Congress Party's 2009 Lok Sabha campaign, Chairwoman of the UPA Sonia Gandhi burnished her party's secular credentials while attacking the BJP. She called the Congress Party a "voice of social justice, communal harmony and inclusiveness." Not mincing words, she referred to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance as a "voice of polarization, of division, of hatred." She chastised the BJP for promising to build a temple to Lord Ram in Ayodhya and accused the party of "mobilizing people on religious lines." Inclusive Economic Development -------------- ¶3. (U) Gandhi highlighted several of the UPA's economic programs including the massive 2008 farm loan waiver program and recent cuts in fuel prices. She acknowledged the worldwide recession but said under the UPA India "was demonstrating its resilience." In her only foreign policy comment beyond Pakistan, the Congress Party matriarch lauded the Indo-U.S. Civil Nuclear Initiative as "one of the most important achievements of the Manmohan Singh government." Gandhi concluded her thoughts on the economy on a populist note, deriding the BJP as the voice of a "privileged few" while stating that the Congress Party speaks for the "aam admi" ("the common man"). Fighting Terror -------------- ¶4. (U) Gandhi directed her comments on terrorism first against the BJP and then against Pakistan. The Congress Party, she said, did not seek political gain from fighting terror. She then launched into why Congress is better suited than the BJP to fight terror - her party draws support from "all sections of society." With an eye on her Muslim vote bank, Gandhi promised the UPA would fight terrorism "without any discrimination." She concluded by castigating the opposition for creating delays and obstacles in passing recent anti-terror legislation. Sonia Invokes Indira on Pakistan -------------- ¶5. (U) In a reference to the triumphant 1971 war with Pakistan when India was led by her mother-in-law Indira Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi told the delegates, "Nobody should construe India's patience as weakness. Those who are aiding and abetting terrorism from across the border will get a befitting reply. Our inspiration is Indiraji." Following Gandhi, Foreign Minister Mukherjee and Home Minister NEW DELHI 00000247 002 OF 002 Chidambaram repeated several lines on Pakistan from previous statements. Mukherjee demanded the Mumbai plotters be brought to justice and reiterated his warning to Pakistan that "all options are open." Chidambaram said the UPA would act "swiftly and decisively" in the event of another terror attack. As India's top domestic law enforcement officer, Chidambaram broadened the rhetoric against terror, telling the party workers, "Irrespective of religion, whoever takes to the gun, to the path of terror, is an enemy of the state." Comment: Politically Nothing New Here -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Sonia Gandhi said nothing the Indian voter hasn't heard before in all previous elections between the UPA and the NDA. Her de rigueur attacks against the BJP for communalism could have been made any time since the BJP's founding. While the BJP still charges the Congress Party with being soft on terror, its overheated rhetoric during state polls right after the Mumbai attacks did not play well with voters. The Congress Party - though it still feels the need to rebut such charges - no longer just plays defense on terrorism, as witnessed by Gandhi's strong comments about Pakistan. So the national election campaign has begun for the political parties, but without a deep animating issue or a tabloid-worthy head-to-head personality clash - such as the battle between Narendra Modi and Sonia Gandhi in the 2007 Gujarat state election - the Indian public has yet to take much notice. In fact many of the media outlets which televised the Congress Party conclave featured delegates snoozing through the proceedings. MULFORD