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Journalism of Courage
NEW DELHI, October 23: The Uttar Pradesh developments have resulted in the first major drift between the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Samajwadi Party with respective party stalwarts going in opposite directions on the issue.
Till the last couple of days, the CPI(M) was the biggest supporter of SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav backing him to the hilt on almost everything he did. CPI(M) general secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet even made a strong attempt to prop up Yadav as a possible candidate for the Prime Minister’s post after Deve Gowda was deposed. Now things have drastically changed.
For example, West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu today welcomed the Union Cabinet’s decision to stick to status quo in UP saying the right thing has happened. For good measure, Basu criticised UP Governor Romesh Bhandari’s role saying he had indulged in questionable interference. This is precisely what Mulayam Singh did not like.
The SP has, in fact, taken strong exception to the reversal of the Cabinet’s first decision and launched a sharp attack today on the Janata Dal, blaming it for what happened. This is a clear and public stance taken by Yadav against one of the important partners in the UF. It is also an indication of things to come.
Ties between Congress president Sitaram Kesri and Yadav are improving and there is every possibility of them allying. The Left, especially the CPI(M), cannot stand Congress and holds it responsible for a lot of problems in the country, the latest being the UP crisis.
But what is sudden and strange is the public divergence in what Basu and Yadav are saying. Till yesterday, Basu was probably one of the few politicians in the country whom Mulayam respected. For the first time yesterday, Basu asked Mulayam to back off and let the Kalyan government stay in UP.
Such a thing was not possible in the recent past. Basu apparently went a step ahead in Guwahati today. At length, he blasted Bhandari wondering why such a short time was given to Kalyan Singh to prove his majority and why Bhandari sent his own observers to the UP House. Views which Mulayam Singh is no longer in a mood to appreciate.
Right through, the CPI(M)’s stance on the UP crisis was awash in confusion. The party was among the ones to demand immediate sacking of Singh’s government the day the BSP withdrew support. This was odd considering that normally the CPI(M) holds that governments must win or lose on the floor of the House, except in the most extraordinary circumstances.
Then the party changed track. On Monday it said the Union Cabinet must first examine the Governor’s report and then take suitable action. At the last minute, it reversed its line again and said it was not for a blind dismissal of the UP government. Three views in four days, all showing how fragile the CPI(M)’s position is becoming in the UF.
