Will UPA Allies Desert Congress Before Polls?

Will the ruling Congress Party find itself left alone to contest the next general elections to Lok Sabha? This question is haunting the political managers of the Congress. From 9, the number of UPA allies has come down to just 2 partners. The Nationalist Congress Party is the second highest after the Congress with 9 Lok Sabha seats and the National Conference with 4 seats in Lok Sabha is wavering. The Government is already in minority and survives on outside support of the Samajvadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party.

The Manmohan Singh  Government has come under attack on its economic policy- something that the Congress has show cased as its major achievement during four years of its term in office since 2009.

The Youth Wing of the NCP at its meeting held on May 30, 2013 has passed economic and political resolutios saying among other things that… “ those who are sitting at the helm of the government are obsessed with GDP ( Gross Domestic Product)”.

It criticizes the government for practicing ‘laissez faire’

The NCP Youth Wing also talks of caring only for a minuscule population of rich and affluent who accounts for just 6 % of the total population and ignoring 94% of the population.

“….the government is squeezing the poor”, it says.

What is significant is the presence of all top leaders of the NCP including Sharad Pawar who supported and endorsed the resolutions against the Congress.

It is less than a year when elections will be held for Lok Sabha. If one takes the systematic and calculated attack on the Congress by Sharad Pawar as a mere posturing, he would demand a lion’s share out of  40 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. But more than that Pawar is eyeing to join the anti-Congress front to fight the next elections to keep the door open for supporting whichever formation that would be near to forming the government including the NDA.

Pawar is also in touch with Mulayam Singh Yadav to strike at the government. The day Mulayam Singh pulls out of the government, Pawar will pull out himself from the government along with Praful Patel and Tariq Anwar, the other two ministers in the UPA Government. Should this happen, it will lead to a winter polls may be in October-November this year itself.

Coming to the National Conference, Omar Abdullah is learnt to have told his people that his party would withdraw support from the UPA Government. If it is being delayed it is because of his father Farooq Abdullah who favours the alliance to continue and likes to be a Central Minister. It is a matter of time before the alliance between the Congress and the NCP breaks.

With major previous allies like the Trinamool Congress and the DMK already out of UPA, the Congress is facing a total isolation in the political club of India.

Surprisingly, the Congress leaders have been taking jibes at the BJP for losing allies. The BJP as of now has three major parties by its side- the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, the Akalis in Punjab and the JD(U) in Bihar. The Congress is trying to wean Nitish Kumar away from the BJP but it is highly unlikely that JD(U) would risk its chances of winning seats without the support of the BJP in Bihar. Nitish Kumar or for that matter his Party the JD(U) will be in position to maneuver things in the post poll scenario to seek new alliance or remain in the NDA only when they have sufficient number of seats in the next Lok Sabha. This is not possible if it decides to break its ties with the BJP.

~  R. K. SINHA