It takes no time in politics to turn a friend into an enemy or an enemy into a friend. Lack of ideology, ethics and morality has shaped the country’s atmosphere in such a way that no political animal can survive without indulging in the crass vote politics of the day. If Sharad Pawar and Mulayam Singh Yadav had become untouchables for the Congress till a few weeks ago, they are today the most sought-after ‘friends’. In view of the move of the BJP and its Hindutva brigades to throw the whole nation in the ferment of communal hatred and garner votes out of it, the Congress has no option but to forget its differences with Pawar and Mulayam Singh, say sources. On February 16, all opposition leaders who are trying to form a front, will attend a dinner hosted by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. Political observers attach much significance to this 'get-together' as the blueprint of this secular and non-NDA front, with emphasis on checking the communal juggernaut of the BJP and its staunch Hindutva allies, will be framed during this dinner diplomacy. But then, given the viability of such fronts in the past, the common people are not completely sure whether the current bid of the Congress and the Left to unite secular friends will be a successful venture.

IN its long-term strategy, the Congress is planning to have a tie-up with the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh. This strategy is the brainchild of no less than the Congress general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, Motilal Vora. He feels that the coming together of the Congress and the Samajwadi Party will change the political map of the State. The immediate objective of the Congress is to upset the apple-cart of the BSP-BJP combine and win the Gauriganj Assembly election.

But unless the SP and the Congress jettison their differences, this will simply not be realised in the State. In pursuance of its short-term goal, the Congress seems ready to play second fiddle to the SP, a Congress camp opposed to the proposed tie-up with Mulayam Singh’s party, says. This group which owes allegiance to the former senior Congress leader in charge of Uttar Pradesh, is of the view that Mulayam Singh’s past track record vis-à-vis the Congress should be reviewed before forging an alliance with the SP. The party’s senior leaders, including veteran Arjun Singh, appear confused and vague in this regard, some insiders of the party say. Even, the Congress’ functionaries in Uttar Pradesh feel that the party in its desperate efforts to regain the State will actually surrender it to Mulayam.

TO become chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, a politically fragmented State, is not easy. And then, to be in the State’s hot seat three times is as much challenging. But the BSP’s Mayawati has this achievement on her sleeve. She is the only woman to have been thrice elevated to the office of chief minister in U. P. This achievement will figure in the Limca Book of Records, say Limca officials. Needless to say, gutsy Mayawati, who has no parallel in the political arena in the country, is a natural contender for the award. Not only has she bounced back to power in the face of stiff political challenges in the State, she has also silenced those who used to have negative views about her style of functioning. Her government in U. P. has done what even the BJP or, for that matter, the SP would not have dared to do. Fearsome Raja Bhaiya has been sent to jail under POTA, the strength of the Congress has been further eroded with the induction of four members of the already-split Congress into the State Cabinet. Now, she is ready to demolish the Indira Gandhi bastion in Amethi. Falling under the newly-christened Shahuji Maharaj district, Amethi is frying under tension ever since Priyanka Vadra flamboyantly dished out unpalatable things against Mayawati and her government. In the coming by-election for the Gauriganj Assembly seat, the BSP leader wants to teach the Congress a lesson by making its candidate lick defeat.

For the Congress, the forthcoming elections in Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Tripura will be an acid test. Following its debacle in the Gujarat Assembly election and subsequent frustration among the rank-and-file of the party, the Congress high command seems to be in no position to allow a further decline in the strength of the party. It has begun preparations for carpet bombing type of electioneering in Himachal Pradesh, while in Nagaland, where the Jamir-led government is apparently on a sticky wicket this time round, the party high command has instructed Congress cadres to be on their toes during the election campaigning. Although, the party’s position is not yet clear in Tripura where it will have a tough fight with the ruling CPI(M); in Meghalaya too the party has not formulated a plan to make the anti-incumbency factor a reality for the NCP-led government. Despite this, the senior leadership of the Congress is not prepared to lower the party’s guard in any of these States. According to Congress insiders, the defeat of the party in these States will have repercussions in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Delhi where elections are scheduled some time in November. Political pundits across the country say that even a mild jolt to the Congress in these States will doom the party in the 2004 general elections. Will Sonia and her followers allow this to happen?

The first couple of Bihar, Laloo and his wife, Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi, is learnt to have become fed up so much with the glamour associated with power that they are now yearning for nothing else than peace. Just a few days ago, the couple contacted Shri Shri Ravishankar of the Art of Living Foundation and asked for help in relaxing their tension-ridden life. It is said that a local activist of the Foundation did visit the couple’s residence at 1 Ann Road in Patna and offered them a few tips to relax. Taking such a development as a new chip on the Laloo-Rabri block, opposition leaders in Bihar have decided to offer some different kinds of tips to the couple to get rid of their tension. They say that if the State Chief Minister and her husband are so serious to relieve their nerve shattering tension, "they should better go to Haridwar or Rishikesh and sit down in a cave to do penance." A loaded advice indeed, but it is true that if Laloo and Rabri go to Haridwar or Rishikesh, it will be beneficial not only to them but also to the State. Some people close to Jantantrik Party leader Ram Vilas Paswan and Samata leader Nitish Kumar say that so long as the couple stick to power in the State, where kidnapping is presently a thriving business, no sort of development can take place. "Laloo-Rabri gaye samjo Bihar se Shani ka prakop gaya," says one influential Samata leader.