By withholding the knock out punch, while at the same time keeping the gloves on, the AIADMK front has no doubt kept this ongoing battle of nerves harsh and hurting to the BJP. The tottering Vajpayee regime which is perilously perched on the edge of the precipice, all set to take a final plunge into the troubled waters of Cauvery, has not really got a breather, though the Sangh Parivar would love to believe so.
On the contrary, the decision is only more likely to aggravate their torment, for at times fear of death is more painful than death itself. And, if one were to go by the latest trends in the BJP, one can reasonably expect a few more emissaries to come calling or rather crawling, to Chennai. Unless, of course, George and his mate, have succeeded in convincing the top brass of the more than thirteen day old wonder, that it is all over.
The nation of course will have to sit through a few more days of suspense, even as the calls of âget over with itâ rend the air from all sides of the political gallery, while the players inside the ring have it out- the key puncher preferring to deliver the knock out punch at the time of her choosing and the victim waiting just for the formal mortal blow to land.
 There is also a third player, waiting in the shadows, all set to jump into the ring, but for some strange-or is it strategic- reasons hesitating to openly say so. Surely, the outward coolness of the Congress to the ensuing tussle in the BJP camp is a poor facade that can fool none, for the Congressmenâs appetite for power is legendary.
Rather, power or prospect of power is their sole sustenance and any display of indifference is at most a ruse to elicit a favourable bargaining position in the inevitable negotiation table that would follow when the current upheavels end.
If the Congress leadership wants to think that it is power that beckons them and not vice versa, then so be it. After all, power is being handed out to them on a platter, and no one expects the Congress to pass up the opportunity. Pretensions of renunciation notwithstanding, the party top brass knows only too well that a stint at the North/South blocks is all that is needed to refurbish the sagging morale of the partymen.
After the Goa fiasco and with the Pawar factor looming large, the infallible image of the Congress of Sonia has come under severe strain. If Sonia to some extent arrested the disintegration of the Congress at the hustings last time, it would need an even more charismatic factor to keep the Congress flock together, should the possibility of another election rise on the political horizon.
And what better rallying point could there be for the hungering Congressmen than power? Perhaps it is this recognition of the impatience of the Congressmen combined with the realisation that the BJP government itself is really on the brink, that prompted the Congress president to exhort her partymen to be ready for a responsible role.
Not that the Congressmen need much of exhortation or cajoling to grab power. Yet the mood in the AICC is visibly upbeat and the jubilation unmistakeable as can be perceived from the plethora of statements from everybody who is somebody in the Congress that the party would not hesitate to step in should the BJP government âfall on its ownâ.
But certainly, the Congress leader after making or allowing so much noises to be made about the imminence of the BJPâs nemesis, can be expected to act with a little more imagination and a lot more courage. Surely, the Congress is not going to be held responsible for bringing down the BJP government nor does the party lack the wherewithal to tackle the multifarious problems into which the BJP had landed the country in.
Yet the visible dithering on the part of Sonia to come out and charge her party into the driverâs seat that is being very conveniently left vacant, only betrays a troubled mind and a palpable lack of courage, besides exposing an intrinsic reluctance to fish in the troubled waters of coalition politics. But then politics is no place for Hamlets and anyway, does the Congress have a choice, if and when the clinically dead BJP government is also declared dead? Really, the saffron survives today only because of Congress blues.
It is indeed a sordid commentary on the state of affairs in the Congress and no doubt a sad reflection on the leadership of Sonia that stalâwartsâ of the likes of Arjun Singh, Natwar Singh, Karunakaran etc, etc, who are past their prime still hold sway over decision making. These are leaders who have no stake in the future, yet the Congress adorns its showcase with such relics and its leader, for reasons unknown, hesitates to break free from their weak clutches.
Sure the Congress of Khadi and Kurta still evokes a sense of nostalgia and even pride, but then does not the perpetuation of such symbolisms betray a tinge of hypocrisy in the present day Congressmen who are more comfortable with cell phones and designer suits? Did not Rajiv himself engineer a break from the past and chart a course for the party, nay the country itself, on the lines of technological resurgence and youthful aggression in tune with the times?
Yet the present Congress leader who has first inherited the mantle and will now have to live up to it, looks lost like a baby in the woods, clinging on to some old, depleted warhorses for support. At least, that is the impression one gathers if her actions or lack of it, are any indication, for had the new brigade had its way, the promised knock out punch would most certainly have been delivered yesterday.
Perhaps, the bubble of youth burst along with the bomb blast that felled Rajiv and the party had done precious little to infuse freshness in its thinking, despite the presence of quite an impressive array of promising young leaders. But then what can be expected of a party that replaced the 75-year old Rao with the 80 plus Kesri?
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