Long ago, conflict within the Congress was between nationalists and internationalists, between Nehruites and Patelites. That became conflict between socialists and liberals, between Indira and the Syndicate. And that then developed to conflict between dynasty and organisation, between Rajiv Gandhi and V.P. Singh. Now it has become conflict between loyalists and sycophants, between Sonia Gandhi and Arjun Singh.
A close study of loyalists and sycophants should indicate the difference clearly enough. The sycophants crawl before Sonia Gandhi. The loyalists crawl before Sonia Gandhi as well as before the portraits of Nehru, Indira, Sanjay and Rajiv. Arjun Singh, chief ideologue of the loyalists, struck a great pre-poll blow for Karnataka by his recent utterances.