Congress really knows how to shoot itself in the foot and to stab a loyal Ally in the back.
Take the case of Lalu Prasad Yadav. He has steadfastly stayed in the 'sickular' corner, has been firm in his opposition to BJP and has supported Congress at every turn during the past few decade. And he was a better than decent Railway Minister. But when UPA 2 was formed, he was pushed aside rudely and without even a courteous 'thank you for services rendered' by the Congress. The result? Lalu went alone in the Bihar elections, was beaten, but ensured Congress under the (de)motivating leadership of the Clown Prince was soundly thrashed, which put a black mark in the 'future' Prime Minister in waiting's resume. If only Congress had shown some magnanimity and offered Lalu a couple of Ministries, they would not have been in such a sorry state.
The Left supported Congress with outside support during UPA 1. And they were pretty decent about it. They got all the flak for government non performing, as the Congi friendly media portrayed them as the stumbling block that the genius liberal reformist PM couldn't overcome. They were shown the door for a silly nuclear deal, and if you would have expected Congress to go back to the reform agenda now that the shackles have been broken, you were mistaken. Looking at the (non) performance of post Left UPA, one has to give a compliment to Left for getting something done by the Government, as they are hardly doing anything other than looting the Country. That Congress tied up with TMC to bring down Left in Bengal is the icing on the cake. But looks like Didi is jittery as she is apprehensive Congress is up to their old tricks. She is being very wary.
Congress did the same to Shibu Soren, who, once, bailed it out with a few suitcases.
The latest in the line is DMK, which has been an integral part of UPA during both the tenure and has supported Congress steadfastly. True they were corrupt, but they also ensured Congress coffers were jingling (No one in the right mind will believe that Congress will allow a loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crores without taking a lions share of it). Now with elections around the corner, Congress is up to its old game of putting pressure on DMK through CBI raids (If anyone thought these raids are to find out the truth behind the 2G scam, they must be cuckoo) and are toying with dumping DMK and aligning with AIADMK or going it alone. I would love to see the last happening. The logic given is that Congress has 15% vote share in TN. How this was calculated is anyone's guess. They have added up all the votes Congress candidates got wherever they stood for elections last time around. But they were in an alliance, and the votes they polled is not theirs alone, but also that of the alliance parties. Let them go it alone for once, and I can assure you that they will not even get the deposit in a single constituency. Anyway, even if they go with Jayalalitha, it will be very tricky. Amma is the toughest cookie in the political arena, and has utter disregard for the super powers that be sitting in Delhi. And she will show them their place once the elections are over, as she has done in the past.But if I were Congress President, I will tie up with my alliance partners for a long period, and ensure the coalition is stable for a while, rather than torpedoing it at every single opportunity.
