Who does so-and-so represent I asked the other day about a lead player in the current crisis whose party affiliation had suddenly escaped me. "He represents money" came the pat reply from a Rajya Sabha veteran. But whose money? And the answer was equally quick, "Why should he restrict his options to only one source of money?"
There may have been an element of sour grapes there for Rajya Sabha members who have fought valiantly for parity with their Lok Sabha colleagues in terms of status and allowances now find themselves left out of the bonanza. But, yes, if it cost a great deal to keep Mahatma Gandhi in poverty, it is likely to cost far more to keep an upright man like Manmohan Singh, isolated in his idealism, in office. But if Rs 25 crore is, indeed, the going rate for voting with the government, as the CPI's A B Bardhan says, it will be only to those who take part in next Tuesday's vote. That leaves out the CPI(M)'s two stellar members of the Rajya Sabha from West Bengal as well as functionaries like Bardhan and Prakash Karat. But cash isn't the only consideration. I don't mean old-fashioned and irrelevant reasons like loyalty and belief but the special interests and lobbies that many of those who are busy marshalling votes also serve. They can be called causes if you like, but the causes often carry more than a promise of long-term dividend.
One MP seeks statehood for Ladakh. Another demands similar status for Bodoland. It's not clear yet what will satisfy the third member of the three-man Independents and Small Parties Incorporated but one can be rest assured that he will want something for his native Manipur. Some have raised the old demand for Telengana to be separated from Andhra Pradesh; some want political rehabilitation for Shibu Soren. Bahujan Samaj Party activists might seek the end of all CBI cases against their leader. Others among the ragbag and bobtail politicians whom the UPA needs must rely yearn for ministerial berths or to head important committees. Would they ask for these favours in addition to or in lieu of the offered Rs 25 crore? Whether the money is paid before or after voting is a moot point.
When an earlier incarnation Congress was handing out largesse, a small party that eventually joined the NDA sent a trusted lieutenant into the enemy's camp to pose as supporter, take the money and spill the beans. There was great consternation when he did as instructed but disappeared after collecting the loot. That episode makes one wonder how Bardhan got to know the precise figure. Could it be that some of his 10 CPI MPs have been quietly playing footsie with the UPA? Perhaps it's more progressive than being the BJP's catspaw.
It would be idyllic if the prime minister could announce that the nuclear deal is a matter of vital national interest and those who uphold it can expect no greater reward than the satisfaction of coming to their country's rescue in a moment of crisis. As for the kissa kursi ka drama, the speaker can solve it by announcing that he won't vote against the government even if he quits. But if the national interest had anything to do with it, the Left Front would not first have pulled the rug from under the UPA. Nor having done so, would it have angled to keep a door open. The claim that the CPI(M) might yet do business with the UPA was a reminder that no career politician ever closes his options on a matter of mere principle. The Chinese understand these realities. Their equivalent of the word crisis is made up of two ideograms
