{Arun Jaitley**}
The country is passing through an interesting phase. The process of re-grouping and re-polarization is on. There are many who want to discover their legitimate space in the elections through tie-ups. There are others who want to avoid irrelevance by creating a third or the fourth Front. While Narendra Modi addresses the mega rallies, some Congress Ministers snatch AIRTIME by resorting to foul language.
The Union home Minister, Sushil Kumar Shinde has an ever smiling face. He is a man known for his courteous behavior. Surprisingly he has chosen to threaten the electronic media which he finds is no longer government friendly. He threatened to expose it and even reveal information which intelligence agencies provide to him against the media. It was an un-Shinde like comment. He later gave an unconvincing denial that the words ‘political media’ should be read as ‘social media’. But why blame the social media? By its very character, it is bound to be a little blunt and somewhat irresponsible at times. It is incapable of censorship.
The External Affairs Minister, Salman Khurshid is normally pleasant and courteous. He is, however a different man when he visits his constituency in Farrukhabad. On one occasion he threatened journalists belonging to a Media Group by saying “it is easy to enter Farrukhabad for them but very difficult to get out”. Yesterday he used unacceptable language against BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
Frustration of the Congress leaders is quite understandable. The party faces public hostility. The day of reckoning is coming closer. Ten years in power-even the modest have become arrogant. The Congress leaders may lose their deposits in the elections but won’t shed their arrogance. Their comments are condemnable. They are completely out of sync with a hostile public opinion.
I had earlier referred to the Third Front as a ‘Losers’ Front’. This time the ‘Losers Front’ wants to get back with a split personality. There is a Third Front with Left and there is the anti-Left Federal Front with the Trinamool Congress. One can’t tolerate the other. There are some in the Front who are politically flexible and were even a part of the NDA. They can aspire to take support from the Congress; some can even be a part of the UPA. For them it is a battle for survival. There are some cleverer ones amongst them. They have kept their options open by a wait and watch policy. They are yet to open up their cards and explain their strategic absence at the Third Front Meets on account of prior engagements or personal commitments.
2014 is an election being dominated by governance issues. Economy, corruption, security and leadership appear to be the principal issues. Considering the efforts being made to cobble up non-ideological combinations of smaller groups, a major issue that will influence the electorates’ choice will be –“Who can provide a stable government?” Certainly not the big loser of 2014 elections. Most certainly not the disparate combinations of non-ideological and politically flexible groups. I have an uneasy feeling that the ‘Losers Front’ will become smaller and smaller. Some well meaning parties will exercise a more sensible option. The Congress through the Shinde and Khurshid like statements will only make feeble attempts to muddy the waters.
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** Arun Jaitley
Leader of Opposition (Rajya Sabha )
* Disclaimer: The writer is a freelance journalist and the views expressed by the author in this feature are entirely his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of INVC.
