N-deal: Who dares wins

This is none other than the Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, who has become the heartthrob in the political circle. Whenever he steps into the national capital, heartbeat of the leaders of both the Congress and the Left allies goes on spiralling. The heads of both parties rush to him for just contrary reason: where on one side Left persuade him not to align with the government, the Congress tries hard to turn the SP into Congress tune.

At the end of the day, if not with surety, it can be said that Left's dire effort to wean away the SP from the Congress-led UPA government has been in vain. The SP has almost nodded for its support to the government if no-confidence motion is brought in the House after Left's withdrawal support from the government on the question of Centre's committed attempt to go with the IAEA in the direction of concluding nuclear deal.

Now deal is again back on the track, but can't say with surety because despite SP's assurance to support the Congress, the picture won't be transparent before July 3, when Mulayam Singh Yadav would seek approval of the UNPA leaders for its support to the government and thus the nuclear deal.

A day later, on July 4, the Communist leaders are convening for a meeting to discuss for its near future course of action and the final decision for when to pull the plug out. Communists are to say that Prime Minister's visit to Japan to participate in G-8 summit would mean government's approval to go ahead on the nuclear deal and in that case Left won't spoil a second to pull down the government.

So the upcoming two days, when divorce with the Left and re-marriage with the SP is believed to be on the corner, are going to be quite crucial for all, especially the Congress-led UPA government.

In spite of the absence of any official declaration from the SP of committing its support to the government, the party president Mulayam Singh on Tuesday said: “In politics there is no such permanent animosity. Congress is no longer an enemy. We have only divergent outlooks.” It is to be noted here that Congress and SP once sworn enemies, but the situation has now forced them to bury the hatchet deep inside the earth. So the two parties are back on the same track after a gap of about five years. “The deal has no caste or creed. We should see whether it is in national interest,” said Amar Singh.

After Left's withdrawal support, the government would reduce to minority with only 225 seats. Despite Samajwadi's 39 MPs support to the government, the government would cut short of eight seats as its tally would go up to only 264. Out of the eight needed seats to cross the demarcation line from minority to majority, the ruling government is on the track to complete it with Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD- three Mps and Janata Dal (Secular)-three another. With their support, which seems a probable one in the current scenario, the figure would go up to 270. For rest of the two seats, the Congress is eyeing on the All India Trinamool Congress leader Mamta Banerjee.

The figure is completed on the paper. The Congress-led UPA government only, but needs to bring it in practical terms. And, if this happens, the UPA government's survivor would be none other than Samajwadi Party. Congress, at last, if proves victorious in its plan, would stand on the old saying: Who dares win.