The Congress hunkered down on Friday to begin the tough business of gathering numbers to pass the majority test.
UPA reaches out to individual MPs, Karat tries to play spoilsport
NEW DELHI: Having settled on July 21-22 as dates for the crucial debate and trust vote in Parliament, the Congress hunkered down on Friday to begin the tough business of gathering numbers to pass the majority test. The situation is so fluid that it will mean lobbying not just with parties but with individual MPs of these parties to get the necessary numbers on board and make sure they stay there.
A highly placed Congress source said the UPA has decided to contact MPs across the political spectrum, except those in the Left and the BJP, with a one-point plea – help the government to get the nuclear deal through in the national interest. The decision was taken at Friday’s meeting of UPA leaders, which became a show of strength with the government going to the extent of flying PDP MP Mehbooba Mufti to Delhi in a special plane to reaffirm numbers. Lists were drawn and tasks assigned to all the leaders who attended.
Though the meeting helped boost the morale of the ruling alliance, many leaders privately admitted the government is on a slippery slope. Elections are round the corner and party loyalties are blurring in a sea of confusion as MPs shop around for the best political bargain that will get them back into the Lok Sabha. Every MP is working on a state-specific logic and the task of rustling up numbers has fragmented into a series of small efforts that need minute coordination.
The Congress appears to be banking on the chinks that have appeared in the NDA and UNPA with parties like the Akali Dal and National Conference expressing support for the nuclear deal. However, there are chinks in the UPA as well and the Congress will need to address those.
The numbers are precariously poised and Left leader Prakash Karat is sparing no effort to bring down the government. He has launched a counter-campaign with the same single-member parties, Independent MPs and rebel MPs with whom the Congress is in touch.
Although the bitterness between the Congress and the Left is increasing with every passing day as the battle for numbers intensifies, Sonia Gandhi attempted to buy peace with the party that has turned from friend to foe in the hope of keeping a channel open for a future alliance if the need arises. She began today’s meeting of alliance partners by thanking the Left for supporting the UPA and helping it to come to power. At the same time, she acknowledged that it’s time to move on.
Her comments, which were widely publicised after the UPA meeting, did not go down well with the Left. Prakash Karat coldly refused to respond when asked at his press conference and Left leaders privately asked what was the point of her olive branch after the way the PM had betrayed their political understanding not to go ahead with the nuclear deal.
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