The growing strains in Left-Congress ties were on display in the Lok Sabha today but both sides made it clear that the BJP would not be a beneficiary of their differences.On the second day of the debate on the motion of thanks to the President’s address this afternoon, Adhir Chowdhury (Cong) slammed the ‘‘hypocrisy’’ of the Left while CK Chandrappan (CPI) launched a scathing attack on the UPA government’s pro-rich economic and pro-US foreign policy.In the midst of Chandrappan’s tirade against the government, Shiv Sena and BJP MPs reminded him that the Left was supporting the government. Unfazed, Chandrappan said,‘‘You want us to withdraw support, so that you can come back?’’ and dismissively laughed away the possibility.Speaking after him, Kirip Chaliha (Cong) made the same point. He sharply attacked BJP leader VK Malhotra for his ‘‘totally communal’’ speech yesterday. Since losing power, the BJP was in doldrums and had no alternative to offer except ‘‘naked communalism,’’ he said.The BJP initially banked on astrology to return to power ‘‘but astrology let you down,’’ Chaliha said. And now the party was hoping that Left-Congress differences would bring down the government and enable the BJP to have a shot at power. But that was just a ‘‘day dream’’ and ‘‘there is no ban on day-dreaming,’’ he said.Referring to the Left’s criticism of the government’s economic policies, the Congress MP said his party leaders too knew that ‘‘liberalisation’’ could not be carried to an extreme. Both sides would make compromises to ensure the government ran its full course, he indicated.Adhir Chowdhary, unlike Chaliha, however, concentrated his attack on the Left rather than the BJP. Declaring that the Communists were ‘‘saints’’ in Delhi but ‘‘devils’’ in West Bengal, he said Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was the ‘‘poster boy’’ of economic reforms even as his party railed against FDI in Delhi.BJP MPs such as the vocal Kharabela Swain visibly enjoyed the Left-Congress exchange. When Chandrappan accused the government of going slow on the Women’s Reservation Bill, Swain pointed out that the Left Front had only given 11 per cent tickets to women candidates despite its pro-women rhetoric. That jibe brought a smile to even Sonia Gandhi’s lips, much to the discomfiture of the Left.
