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ALL MADAM'S MEN: Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi with party chief ministers at the Nainital Boat Club

It is the more complex but mundane questions of agricultural reforms and internal security threatened by suicides and militancy, respectively, that the Congress seems unable to tackle. Throughout the two-day Congress chief ministers' conclave, the 14 participating state government heads, Congress general secretaries and four Union ministers floundered on concerns they had set out to address. The proclamations of help for the farmers were punctuated by lack of clarity on special economic zones (SEZs). Similarly, the will to please Muslims was stated but not backed by a concrete plan.

For the first time, an agenda was set for the conclave in the context of farmers' suicides and reactions to Justice Rajinder Sachar Committee looking into representation of Muslims in government and armed forces. Matters of internal security inevitably get linked to minorities. Thus the demand, particularly in Uttar Pradesh by the multi-party Muslim alliance People's Democratic Front (PDF), about the low representation of the community in police has drawn a reaction from the Congress. After the blasts in Mumbai and Malegaon, the arrest of suspects has led to a sense of insecurity in the community. "We do not want one particular community to feel persecuted," says Sonia.

PICTURE SPEAK

NO TO NO. 2: Sonia and Manmohan addressing the media "I categorically state there will be no deputy prime minister." SONIA GANDHI, UPA CHAIRPERSON

It was the second time that Manmohan has brought up the subject of more representation of minorities in the security apparatus. At the meeting of chief ministers of Naxal-affected states at his residence early this month, he had asked them to ensure that minorities were not left out as it sent out wrong signals. Exactly how the community would be given greater representation is still unclear. Would there be some sort of reservation was the inevitable question. "At this point, no modalities have been worked out. I am still waiting for the Sachar Committee report when we will have the first reliable data to work on," Manmohan said.

Every pronouncement that appears remotely to fall into the category of minority appeasement is, of course, lapped up by the BJP. It went on the offensive on the refusal by some Muslim organisations to sing Vande Mataram which the HRD Ministry had ordained. The party has been vociferous against the joint mechanism being worked out with Pakistan and the meeting in Havana. "By giving Pakistan a clean chit, and accepting that it, too, is a victim of terrorism, India has allowed Pakistan to get off the hook," says BJP president Rajnath Singh. Expect a stronger reaction on special recruitment drives as and when they happen.

Sonia was candid in accepting that she had a visitor on the eve of the conclave in Delhi-Sharad Pawar. "We discussed agriculture reforms and I am satisfied that he is doing a good job," she said. That should put to rest speculation about strains within the UPA, especially between the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress. There was another satisfied soul: Home Minister Shivraj Patil. He would have been relieved to know that he is not about to be dumped from his portfolio. The only one with his dreams of deputy prime ministership quashed was Pranab Mukherjee who was away in the US. If the rumours had floated for some more time, it would have weakened Manmohan's position-that's how Sonia saw it and ventured to squash it at the first opportunity.

But the bonhomie on the stage belied the serious dissensions that occurred behind closed doors. Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, as has become his wont, was at the receiving end. In her opening address to the chief ministers, Sonia made it clear that she would like "farmers to be made shareholders in projects coming up on land acquired from them". This set the tone for the meeting as all proposals and discussions on SEZs went out the window. Even where industry has come up on farm land in non-SEZ areas-like Rudrapur in Uttaranchal-attempt will have to be made to make farmers profit sharers.

With Uttar Pradesh elections top on her mind and former prime minister V.P. Singh having set the agenda in western Uttar Pradesh's Dadri, agriculture reforms dominated discussions. There was some soul-searching in the mechanism of distribution of special packages to farmers. Sonia disclosed that Vidarbha-style packages would be given to some other southern states as well.

While the party may have zeroed down by compulsions on what it needs to do to bring back farmers and minorities to its fold, there is still a big gap in ideas. The most obvious question then was when would Rahul Gandhi be pitched forth in Uttar Pradesh. Sonia was visibly amused. "I have been asked this question 10 times in the last two weeks but I don't mind answering it for the 11th time. It will be soon and as soon as I decide you will know," she said impishly. At the back of her mind even she knows Congress depends more heavily on individual charisma rather than reform policies. The question is will that be enough this time in a sharply-divided Uttar Pradesh?

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