Adversaries unite in a new Singh chorus

NEW DELHI: Even as odd couples go, Natwar Singh and Amar Singh make for strange bedfellows. Till the other day they were on opposite sides of the Sonia Gandhi loyalty spectrum. Today, they are inseparable.

Ever since the monsoon session began, the two Singhs have been making cosy appearances together baiting Congress MPs. "Arre bhai, why are you avoiding me?" Natwar Singh asked one the other day. "Come, sit here and have coffee." The embarrassed MP scurried away. A gleeful Amar Singh remarked, "We are the untouchables of Parliament."

Shunned by his party, Natwar Singh has found refuge in the SP. Actually, his ties with Amar Singh go back many years when the SP leader was in the Congress and both were part of Madhavrao Scindia's circle.

They drifted apart once Amar Singh crossed the Rubicon and positioned himself as an inveterate Sonia-baiter.

Despite his protestations of loyalty to Gandhi and the Congress, Natwar Singh has clearly decided that his innings with the party is over. By hobnobbing with the man who is considered Enemy Number 1 by the Congress, he has signalled that he is ready to snap ties.

Now Amar Singh is waiting for his friend to make good his threat to spill the beans. He has been prodding Natwar Singh every time the Congress leader opens his mouth. But will Natwar Singh provide the ammo that Amar Singh needs for a grand assault on the government?