SPIDERNET: Lest he marries the other woman

SPIDERNET; Lest he weds the other woman

By Amba Charan Vashishth

It is no exaggeration to say that the stand of Left parties supporting the UPA from outside is nothing short of hypocrisy and double standards.
They claim that supporting the UPA is "their helplessness" because the alternative is the rise to power of 'communal' forces which, they say, are represented by BJP and its allies.
Before 1989, Congress was the enemy No. 1 for the Left Parties. They deplored the division of anti-Congress votes that made Congress to continue in power. For the purpose of defeating it they had joined hands with the Jana Sangh, whom today the Left parties call 'communal'. They even shared power with this communal outfit in the northern States of India when united front governments became a phenomenon in post-1967 electoral scenario.
In 1989 they had no qualms of conscience not to join hands with 'communal' BJP to support V. P. Singh government. But BJP became 'communal' the moment it withdrew support to VP Singh government.
Now they support the Congress-led UPA government from outside. But hardly has there been any time during the last four years when they have not condemned and threatened this government on various issues like rise in prices of petroleum products, Indo-US deal, disinvestment and what not. We have heard their now famous byte through the mouth of CPM veteran Sita Ram Yechury: "We don't only bark. We can bite too". Everybody in the country knows what they have done so far.
Getting hurt at the recent rise in prices, they called for a four-day bandh in Left ruled States. They continue threatening but at the same time assuring that they don't wish to make this government collapse. Actually, the fact is that they don't want to lose the luxury of being in power without the mandate and without accountability. Their argument: they cannot help ushering the BJP-led NDA.
Their response is similar to the woman who quarrels with her husband and cannot stand him even for a moment. When the couple face each other, they only quarrel and shout. She doesn't share a room with him. But she is not willing to divorce him only because that would facilitate her husband marry the other woman which she cannot digest under no circumstances. ***

*Amba Charan Vashishth is a political commentator on the editorial board of a political fortnightly.