Political Diary

New Delhi, 1 May 2010

Opposition Cut Motion

UPA TRIUMPS, BUT WAR CONTINUES

By Poonam I Kaushish

Billed as the political IPL’s battle of nerves, it ended with three ‘magical’ alphabets becoming the game changer: CBI. Call it the Central Bureau of Investigation or by its present-day nickname, Congress Bureau of convenience, connivance and corruption it matters little. Clearly, the ‘kanooni nautanki’ exposed once again that political maya can be traded for legal nirvana with the devil taking the hindmost! Dividing the Opposition by hook and by CBI crook.

All over a silly do-or-die-but-doomed Opposition sponsored cut motion in the Lok Sabha against the Government's decision to hike the prices of urea and petrol. Thanks to the killer instincts of seasoned Congress managers, CBI ‘agreeing’ to play footsie with  BSP’s Mayawati leading to her ‘I love Congress’ googly, BJP Jharkhand ally JMM’s Shibu Soren’s sudden ‘Alziemher’cross-voting, Mulayam-Lalu duo’s `socialist betrayal’ of the comrades, the Right and Left ended up inflicting a comical self-goal.

 Adding insult to injury, post the ‘floor collapse’ the Opposition advertised that it cannot come together even on neutral issues like price rise. Worse, the BJP and Left find itself in a piquant predicament: They don’t know who are with them and who are not. Mulayam-Lalu inflicted the unkindest cut; participating in the 13-Party Left sponsored Bharat Bandh only to dump it hours later for the comrades `joint-venture’ with ‘communal’ BJP.  Even the 3MPs-strong JD (S) Deve Gowda, Chandrashekhara Rao’s two-member TRS and ‘Congress rebel’ Bhajan Lal all failed to turn up for voting .

At the same time it was a wake-up call to the Congress as its credibility plank had taken a severe hit. True, thanks to CBI crook it had enticed Maya and Soren, got Mulayam-Lalu to stage a walk-out and exploded the myth of Opposition unity with 289 MPs voting for the UPA. But it no longer could be sanguine about its allies support. Take away the BSP’s 21 MPs and JMM chief Shibu Soren’s vote and the UPA tally is 267, seven below the half-way mark, UPA II is not close to being formidable. Their support comes with a heavy price tag:  a case by case basis rather than agreement on policy. The fate of the Women’s Reservations Bill a case in point.  

There is a growing disquiet sense among some of its allies whose support is critical, that the Congress is moving away from a coalition dharma towards a single-Party rule mindset. NCP’s Pawar seems to think that the IPL ‘leaks’ are the handiwork of the Government to embarrass him.  Trinamool’s Mamata is worried about the forthcoming W Bengal Assembly polls, DMK is undergoing family upheaval and a defeat in next year’s State polls could lead to another political realignment. Last but not least staunch ally Lalu who resents being sidelined and kept out of the Cabinet.

The Congress’ doing business with arch rival BSP once again highlights the use and misuse of the CBI for political ends. Getting the investigative agency to consider Mayawati's plea for closing a disproportionate assets case against her and ‘go-slow’ on similar cases against Mulayam, Lalu and  Soren. On the facetious familiar “secular logic” against “communal forces.”

However, the Congress will have to walk a tightrope during its on-going UP yatra to expose the corruption under the BSP regime. Given that it is attempting to emerge as the main Opposition party in the run-up to the 2012 UP polls. In keeping with this gameplan, the Congress has mounted a strong campaign against Mayawati and christened her daulat ki beti and moortidevi after the innumerable statues built by her. Ironically, despite such strong criticism it is now forced to treat Mayawati as an ally and is at a loss to explain the Congress’ strategy in UP in the coming days.

For the main Opposition Party BJP, the going couldn’t get any worse. Not only was its motion defeated but it inflicted a collateral damage on the Party when it Jharkhand ally Chief Minister Soren ditched it in the Lok Sabha. Not only did it demonstrate how clueless the BJP’s floor-managers were but also how coolly Soren dined with BJP President Gadkari’s after casting his vote, with the latter having no inkling that the JMM Chief had bolted from its stable.

The Party retaliated swiftly by withdrawing support to Soren’s Government, but by then, enough damage had been done to the BJP’s credibility and standing in a State which was until a few years ago it considered its stronghold. Party leaders admit that the decision to embrace Soren three months ago to form the Government was rank opportunism but are all said to do it again.

The Left must be equally embarrassed, as it had bought Mulayam’s sound byte of a larger non-UPA “secular” alliance taking shape at the Centre. It was hoping that the coming together of “secular” parties in Parliament would be the first step towards a realignment of forces. But the Yadav duos’ walkout from the Lok Sabha, showed that the Third Front is an idea whose time might never come. The second time in less than two years that the SP Chief has ditched the Left for the Congress. First over the Indo-US nuclear deal in July 2008. It remains to be seen if the Left has learnt its lesson yet.

As for Mulayam and Lalu both have exposed their inherent inability to take on Congress. Given that it would be imprudent for the m to antagonise the ruling Party.  Both need the Centre’s ‘help’ to get out of various cases against them and family members. The good news for Mulayam is that his arch UP rival too, has come to Congress’ aid. But the tacit backing for the UPA would make it difficult for the SP to claim that it has the wherewithal to take on Congress.

For Lalu, with Bihar poll bound the implications are more serious. Given that JD(U) and NDA doesn’t tire of dubbing the RJD as a Congress B-team. But the Grand Dame is clear: support for the Centre in the hour of crisis will not change its’ attitude towards the RJD and will go it alone in the coming polls in Bihar.

As for BSP’s Mayawati none knows her next move. Congressmen read her newfound bonhomie, as her way of blurring the partisan faultlines when Congress is seeking to cast itself, as her principal opposition. Even as she underlined her support to the UPA she repeatedly asserted that protest against the Centre on discrimination towards UP would continue. This dictomy is reflective of Mayawatis’ dilemma as she is conscious of the fact that siding with the Opposition against the UPA does not gain her anything. On the contrary, bailing the Government out has helped her legally. By refusing to play second fiddle to the Left Opposition grouping Mayawati made plain she was not billing to subsume her identify to the Left or BJP.  As she sees the BSP as the ‘’third national party’ after the Congress and BJP and has never hidden her prime ministerial ambition.

“By supporting the UPA, we cannot take a strong stand in Parliament against the government on many issues and become bound to support its policies,” an MP said. “We must spell out clearly what exactly we mean by outside support. How can we support the Congress here, whom we are so critical of back home?” said another MP.

Sadly, a more serious political fallout was the brazen wrecking of CBI’s image as a “professional investigative agency.” In fact, like successive Governments prior to it, UPA I and II have successfully undermined its autonomy and independence. Be it Bofors scandal in 1990s or Lalu, Mulayam and Mayawati in 2010, all have used an abused the CBI to further their political interests.

The tragedy of it all, in an era where political image has come to be branded like detergents, quick-fix solutions are sought for chronic maladies.  Times out of number our netagan are only thinking of themselves, seeking an image rectification instead of dealing with chronic maladies that plague India. Time for our powers-that-be to desist from playing further havoc. CBI or no CBI, at the end of the day, are we going to mortgage our conscience to corrupt and tainted leaders.  INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)