The interplay between the Left and the right wing parties is being watched with a great deal of interest and caution by the top Congress leadership.The main catalyst in this is Prakash Karat who is seen by Congress leaders as a man who is out for revenge against the Congress.
That is the reason why, say sources that the government is not moving against Minister for civil aviation Praful Patel as the Congress would not like to do anything to push the Nationalist Congress Party towards the BJP. A senior leader said that what Shashi Tharoor had done constituted a blatant misuse of his official position as a minister and it is exactly the same in Praful Patel's case.
Sources say that this has been conveyed to Sharad Pawar with all the information which is in the possession of the government regarding the activities of Praful Patel in the IPL saga and it has been left to Pawar to take a call on Praful Patel since he is a member of the NCP and not the Congress.
Sources say that the Congress while looking at retaining and even increasing its numbers in the Lok Sabha next week, is not interested in sending any contradictory signals to Sharad Pawar and the NCP though the internal assessment of the top leadership is that the NCP would not want to severe its links with the Congress party because of its ground level situation in Maharashtra and that it suits them to stay with the Congress rather than share power with the BJP-Shiv Sena combine.
But with both Pawar and Praful under pressure in the wake of new exposures every day, the opposition has demanded the constitution of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) in what they call the biggest ever scandal to hit the nation. The demand for a JPC was first voiced by the Left parties and then subsequently picked up by the BJP, with a senior BJP leader admitting that the BJP taking up the demand was the result of the new found bonhomie between the left and the BJP and the decision to work in tandem.
Sources say that for the BJP, a JPC could be embarrassing in more ways than one as some of its leaders could be called before the committee. Leaders like leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley who is also the president of the Delhi Cricket Association may be asked to appear before the JPC, admit senior BJP
leaders, which may not be to the liking of the party.
Sources state that in the core committee held in the evening at Parliament house, while Pranab Mukherjee briefed the members on the ongoing IPL probe in which key wings of his ministry are involved, he also informed the prime minister about the demand of the opposition for the setting up of a JPC to probe the cricket scam.
While the core committee members discussed the pros and cons of setting up a JPC, sources say that the prime minister would take a decision on the issue after wider consultation. These wider consultations could also be to take the issue to the cabinet and discuss it with key allies who are in the government since the issue also touches upon two ministers who belong to a UPA alliance partner.
It is learnt that the government has kept its mind open on the issue of a JPC with some sections of the party and the government of the view that this could be a god sent opportunity for the Congress and the government to wash its hands off the entire messy affair and let leaders of various political parties who are members investigate the issue. A senior leader said this would also show how much the Left is in the mood to protect the BJP or to co-operate with them.
For the Congress, the main issue at the moment is of the stability of the government with sources saying that the core committee took a call on the numbers ranged with the government and against them when it comes to voting next week. The government has taken a soft line vis-à-vis Mayawati and her statues and the case in the court to signal that for the moment they are looking for a tactical tie up with the Bahujan Samaj Party. If the BSP abuses the Congress and the government on the floor of the house and then stages a dramtic walkout with its 21 MPs, it would just be the kind of action that the Congress would approve of. It would also show that the two parties have forged a strategic tie up for a limited cause.
Apart from that, Ajit Singh's 5 MPs are being wooed, independents even the unattached ones like Jaswant Singh and Digvijay Singh and an attempt to persuade opposition MPs to stay away from the voting for whatever reasons.
With the government under fire on the price rise of essential commodities and hike in the prices of petroleum products and Parliament expected to be rocked on Monday by charges that the government has been tapping the telephones of key politicians whether of its allies or the opposition not to forget the ongoing IPL row, the Congress and its allies have sounded a red alert for parliament for next week to ensure that the financial business of the government is safely and securely out of the way.
