Author: Editorial
Publication: News Todaynet
Date: July 10, 2008
URL: http://newstodaynet.com/newsindex.php?id=9060%20&%20section=13
After the Prime Minister left for the G8 Summit
enthused and emboldened by the inclination shown by the Samajwadi Party, the
Left withdrew its support to the UPA government.
Yesterday, while the Left met the President
Prathiba Patil and gave its letter confirming the withdrawal, the Samjwadi
Party also met her and gave the letter confirming its support to the UPA government.
.
The President doesn't have any Constitutional obligation to ask him to move
a 'confidence motion', but she can discuss the issue and suggest him to go
for it.
Or otherwise, she can remain silent under
the assumption that the government has enough support and is safe. In other
words, if the government sends a message of confidence after making up the
required numbers, she might ask the government to face the House and seek
a vote of confidence.
In the meantime, a few rebels have raised
their heads within the Samajwadi Party and the BSP supremo Mayawathi is determined
to fish in troubled waters.
It seems the UPA government may have to pay
a heavy cost, as it is in dire straits and requires the support of independents
and single seat-parties.
The nation is set to witness an ugly exhibition
of opportunism in the coming days through the shameless negotiations between
the government and the fence-sitters.
It is already speculated that Amar Singh and
Mulayam Singh Yadav are having a ball at the negotiation table, going even
to the extent of wanting 'their own man' as the CBI Chief!
The TRS Chief Chandrasekara Rao, who left
the UPA on the 'Telengana' card, seems ready to support the government. The
humble and poor farmer Deve Gowda, who was against the Congress till yesterday,
is ready to negotiate for future understanding.
Mamata Bannerjee, the lone voice of Trinamool
Congress in Parliament, is also ready to negotiate as the Left has parted
ways with the UPA and the BJP is not a force in West Bengal.
The MDMK is squarely divided with two 'for'
and two 'against' the government. The 'stink' from Delhi will increase in
the coming days spreading throughout the nation, as the self-interested negotiations
will happen in the name of 'national interest' and 'secularism'.
But on the other hand, the deliberate 'hide
and seek' play record of the 'UPA-Left' combine in the last four years, has
cast a spell of suspicion and it is hard to believe that the Left would vote
'against' the government on the floor of the House.
Moreover, something is fishy and strange in
the happenings during the last few days. The visit of the 'Karats' and 'Amar
Singh' to the US very recently, the sudden visit of Sitaram Yechury to London
on 'personal' grounds and his absence at the time of withdrawal by the Left,
the time leverage given by the Left to the UPA and SP for finalising their
equation and the sudden outburst from Jyoti Basu asking the Left not to bring
down the government all point towards a tacit understanding between the trio
of UPA, Left and SP. After all, the UPA-Left-SP combine is obviously afraid
of facing the election now!
If at all the Left is serious about its stand
on the nuclear deal, it must have asked Somnath Chatterjee to step down from
the post of Speaker! As it has not done that, the Left can be expected to
'abstain' from voting instead of going against, and claim that it has withdrawn
the support on 'national interest' and abstained from voting on 'secular interest'.
The Samajwadi Party will claim that it has
supported the deal on 'national interest' and saved the government on 'secular
interest'. Finally the UPA will claim that national interest and secularism
have triumphed and the 'anti-national' and 'communal' forces have been defeated!
As far as the deal is concerned, many things
are not transparent and kept secret. Even before the UPA government sails
through the confidence motion in Indian Parliament, the IAEA has circulated
the India-specific safeguards agreement to its board of governors.
One wonders whether they are 'safeguards'
or 'sellouts'! While the G8 nations have agreed to lend support to the Indo-US
nuclear deal, surprisingly China is reported to have shown its willingness
to support it at the NSG level. The Prime Minister is elated at the appreciation
from President Bush and is ready to move ahead very fast.
'Secretiveness' and 'speed' have replaced
'transparency' and 'caution' and it is not good for the nation. After ensuring
the required numbers, the government will move the confidence motion on the
Indo-US N-Deal and sail through, but the nation will be 'floored'!
