Mumbai: 

Turban Talk: Has Congress been playing the communal card? pic/rajeev tyagi

ONE is struggling to save the government, while the other is fighting to bring down the government when the strength of the UPA is tested on the floor of the Lok Sabha on July 22. Ironically, both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and CPI (M) General Secretary Prakash Karat are not elected representatives of the Lok Sabha.

Since the time Left has withdrawn support to the government, the political equation in the country has become a bit confusing. The two parties (pro-deal and anti-deal) are reaching out to friends and foes alike.

While Congress reached out to SP, CPI (M) got cosy with Mayawati. Although, I am sure that the BSP chief has not understood a single point in the safeguard agreement. SP's closeness to Congress was enough to go against the N-deal.

Hypothetically speaking, if SP would have remained with  the Left in this hour of crisis, Mayawati would have surely seen the nation's interest in this deal.

The Congress, although indirectly, tried to play the communal card. The Punjab Congress went around meeting Sikh MPs, convincing them to save the honour of India's first Sikh prime minister. Even that failed.

In a trust vote which is heading to a Twenty20 excitement and finish, every vote is crucial. So after looking around, the UPA turned to five jailed MPs. Mohammed Shahabuddin, Pappu Yadav (RJD), Afzal Ansari, Ateeq Ahmed (SP) and Surajbhan Singh (LJP) have suddenly become important.

They are being visited in jails and are spoken to for hours. Suddenly, there are so many high-profile politicians to give them company. And since the desperate politicians cannot make regular visits to these jails, they must have got the mobile phones back (to keep in touch).

Anyone left? Oh yes, the smaller parties. For example: PDP (headed by Mehbooba Mufti) was flown from Srinagar to Delhi in a private aircraft for her party's lone MP's support. The Congress must be tired. So am I.