PM’s secret meet with Sonia

Meanwhile, the Left parties are now coming around to the view that a serious attempt should be made to try and form an alternative government now. They are of the opinion that to allow the Vajpayee government to continue would have dangerous consequences for the country as it wouldencourage an arms’ race in the subcontinent. They are learnt to have sent the Congress signals of their support from outside were the party to make such an effort. Other parties in the United Front are not averse to the idea.

The ball is back in the court of Sonia Gandhi. Her strategy so far has been to try and buy more time before bidding for the top post. She herself has spoken in soft tones about the nuclear tests for any criticism of them by her could be linked to her foreign origins. But other Congress leaders like Natwar Singh, Shiv Shankar, P.A.Sangma, known for their proximity to her, were more strident in their attack during the debate on the issue in Parliament.

Curiously CPP leader in the Lok Sabha Sharad Pawar did not speak at the end of the debate as expected. For the last three days, he has been billed to speak before the Prime Minister gave his reply.

The Congress seems to be divided on the idea of a national government. When Pawar spoke yesterday about the need for a united voice fromthe Indian Parliament in the wake of the Pakistani tests, it sent alarm bells ringing in the Congress. By striking a note of unity, Pawar had not only managed to upstage other Congress leaders and they read a different meaning into his words.

His approach was overruled at a small group meeting called by him late last night at his residence, as hawks in the party advocated a stronger line against the BJP.

This morning Manmohan Singh, leader of the party in the Rajya Sabha who is considered close to Sonia Gandhi, took the initiative to call a meeting of Congress and United Front leaders in his room in Parliament. Left leaders endorsed the line taken by the Congress hardliners. CPM leader Somnath Chatterjee made it clear that there was no question of his party going along with what Pawar had expressed in the house the previous evening. This view came to prevail and was reflected in the speeches of both the Congress and the United Front leaders in both houses of Parliament. Former Prime Minister Inder KumarGujral could not have been sharper when he told the Lok Sabha that having been the last Prime Minister he could say categorically that there was no security compulsion for the tests which were obviously conducted for political and partisan considerations.

Even though the post-detonation euphoria gave the Vajpayee government some respite, trouble seemed to be brewing again for his government today. The coalition arrangement received another setback today with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerji suspending support to the Vajpayee government. She was protesting against the less than adequate help on the law and order front to her supporters in the recently held Panchayat elections in West Bengal in which she has not fared as well as expected.