Keeping the flock together

Vol. 6 | issue 7 | August 2012

Bric-a-brac

 

Keeping the flock together
political manoeuvres & hidden agendas

HOW does one party support another party that it is opposing? This is a puzzle that only the Indian political system has an answer to. Today, most supporters of the ruling UPA government are also opposing it. The behaviour of Mulayam Singh Yadav, Mayawati and Karunanidhi has puzzled everybody. Nobody is able to understand the emerging dynamics. But, politics was never simple, especially as it has evolved in a democratic India. For politicians are a clever breed, every step they take has its meaning. Thus, for Mulayam Singh Yadav, it is not the future of the UPA government that is important, instead it is his son Akhilesh Yadav’s future that is more important. And, for this, if Mulayam has to keep the UPA Government at the Centre stable, even though he may not be happy doing so, he is willing to do so. He also knows of the ‘reported file’ that the CBI has maintained on the benami properties owned by him, his son and daughter-in-law Dimple, which the UPA Government will pursue vigorously in the courts if he decides to pull out. Similarly, Karunanidhi’s predicament is understandable, as he desires that his daughter Kanimozi and nephew Dayanidhi Maran be exonerated in the 2G scam.  Whether the Congress will eventually succumb to their pressure or not depends on the number game in the House. Mayawati’s problem is much more serious. Her ‘Taj Corridor’ scandal case is still pending. Sources say that the Directorate of Enforcement has a full dossier on properties she and brother Anand Kumar have allegedly amassed that are worth more than Rs 1 lakh crore. It is learnt that Anand Kumar is hopping from Malaysia to Dubai on a weekly basis just to avoid arrest. Both the brother and sister today appear to be side-stepping party and political concerns to support the government. What all this only goes to show is that when you have the stick, and know how to wield it, the flock stays together; something that the Congress certainly knows how to do.