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Journalism of Courage
While flying to the G-8 summit, the PM was deliberately provocative in his remarks about the nuclear deal. He feared that in his absence, Pranab Mukherjee might yet work out a compromise with the Left by which the pact could be effectively scuttled. Manmohan Singh had previously shared his misgivings about Mukherjee with Sonia Gandhi. Mukherjee has privately made it clear that he is against the deal and believes that a break with the Left, with whom he has amicable relations in West Bengal, is suicidal. It is because of the PM8217;s suspicions that A K Antony was brought in as an additional interlocutor between the Congress and the Left.
Just before the PM8217;s departure, Mukherjee and Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon continued to obfuscate about the timing of India presenting its case before the IAEA. In fact, Mukherjee invited the Communist leaders for yet another round of talks, indicating the decision on the deal was still open.
Mouse turns Sher-e-Punjab
Before leaving for the G-8 summit, Manmohan Singh telephoned former Prime Minister I K Gujral, a fellow Punjabi and a good friend, to seek his blessings. Gujral, a supporter of the deal, urged the PM to push ahead regardless. Singh played the Sikh brotherhood card when speaking to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal with whom he is friendly. The Akali Dal was requested to abstain in the confidence vote and international Sikh bodies have put pressure on the Akalis not to bring down the first Sikh prime minister. After four years of being dubbed a doormat, Singh is suddenly being hailed as Sher-e-Punjab.
Touching confidence
A senior editor recently met L K Advani for an interview. His real purpose was to act as an emissary of the Left and suggest a common strategy in Parliament for a possible no-confidence motion in case the Government backs out of its assurance of proving its number on the floor of Parliament. Both the Communists and the BJP agreed that it would embarrass the other side if either of them tabled the motion. It was felt best to leave this to a neutral third party, the TDP.
Patil unruffled
All eyes are on President Pratibha Patil to see how she will respond to the present political crisis. Patil was on a pilgrimage to Tirupati on the day the Left announced withdrawal of support. Her aide got regular feedbacks on the political moves from Delhi. While the journalists accompanying the President were keen to know the latest political developments, Patil did not bat an eyelid or exhibit any curiosity. The President busied herself in temple rituals and refused to even make a comment to the media.
Adviser on UPA8217;s security
National Security Adviser M K Narayanan is a key player in the operation to cobble together a majority for the UPA in Parliament. Narayanan, an old IB hand who looked after the political desk for years, often acted as the eyes and ears of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, both when they were in office and when out of power. Narayanan helped bring around Amar Singh and Ram Gopal Yadav of the SP. Recently, he approached Panthers leader Bhim Singh to back Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad before the crucial meeting of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. In this case, his attempts backfired with Singh claiming that Narayanan was threatening to withdraw his security cover.
Don8217;t shoot messengers
While the Left is very clearly nursing a grievance against the Congress for betrayal, the Congress feels equally ill-used. So who deceived whom over the nuclear pact? The emissaries, Pranab Mukherjee and Sitaram Yechury, are being blamed for not giving an accurate picture of their respective party positions, since both are accused of being soft on the opposite camp. Why shoot the messengers? Sonia Gandhi8217;s Mona Lisa smile also gave the impression that she was personally sympathetic to whichever side she talked to. Interestingly, the Americans were always confident that the deal would eventually go through.
