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Journalism of Courage
Her U-turn on Pranab underlines it: Congress can no longer use TMC as an alibi for indecision
It is possible to argue that Mamata Banerjees U-turn on Pranab Mukherjee was foretold. She really did have limited options,given a host of factors ranging from Pranabdas Bengali-ness to the fact that she could ill-afford to vote on the same side as the BJP because of West Bengals significant Muslim vote. Arguably,she also needed to stay within the UPA to extract the much-needed financial package from the Centre. Whatever be the reasons that led up to her rethink on Mukherjee,there can be no doubt that the final trigger was the UPAs decision to call her bluff. The UPA may have reason to congratulate itself in this moment. From a position where it seemed that the presidential election could turn out to be a precarious test of its numbers,it appears to be now sitting pretty,having not only rallied all its allies behind its candidate,but also drawn in outside support from the BSP and SP and from NDA partners Shiv Sena and JDU. Yet,unless it draws the right lessons from the just-concluded episode,its present comforts will prove to be fragile .
If this government is to turn around the negative story so far,in the two years left in its tenure,it must remember this: in the end,it cannot credibly blame it on the allies not even on Banerjee. Her capitulation on Mukherjees candidature has shown that if the Congress demonstrates clarity and stands its ground,it will,more often than not,prevail. On issues that matter,the Congress will have to interrogate its own indecision,or lack of coherence and belief. It cannot hide behind the real or presumed recalcitrance of its allies.
