Commentary/Mani Shankar Aiyar

Deve Gowda is ready to 'die for Mulayam Singh'

It is, perhaps, only natural for Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda to heap paeans of praise on Laloo Prasad Yadav at his garib Reilla for commandeering numerous trucks and buses from the nearest available transporter and gouging as much petrol and diesel as his supporters wanted out of every passing bunk. Both Gowda and Yadav belong, after all, to the same party. In any case, such abuse of power has long become part of our democracy.

Moreover, Laloo surely deserves recognition for the significant contribution he made to our ancient civilisation. "Reilla," he has helpfully explained, "is the masculine gender for rally!" Our national language is the richer for Laloo's etymological exertions.

We have also had an interesting response from the United Front about the Bharatiya Janata Party-Bahujan Samaj Party government taking office in Lucknow. The BJP-BSP did so as the other Yadav of our Backward Age, Mulayam Singh, refused to have any truck with Mayawati. The prime minister has announced his readiness to "die for him (Mulayam Singh)." How Deve Gowda thinks intimations of his mortality are going to assist Mulayamism is not clear.

Deve Gowda's solicitude for his coalition partners appears, however, to be somewhat selective. He has displayed none of the same consideration towards the regional parties of the two states with which his home bastion has running water disputes. And even as Chandrababu Naidu gets an expert committee to endorse his stand on the height of the Almatti Dam, and the Supreme Court -- at long, long last! -- constitutes a bench to determine whether Karnataka violated the Constitution on the Cauvery issue, Deve Gowda has let it be known that he thinks there is no place for courts of justice in river water disputes.

Not that other parties are any better. George Fernandes followed the lead of his mentor Raj Narain, he of the green bandana who brought down Morarji Desai's government on the question whether it was proper for Janata Party members, specifically its Jan Sangh component, to enjoy RSS membership. His Samata Party is today in alliance with the BJP. And, for all I know, George, rising at the crack of dawn, outfits himself in a pair of khaki shorts, picks up his danda and runs off to the nearest shakha to perform calisthenics.

A better example of political adaptability is George's nominal leader Nitish Kumar, the Kurmi Terror. When Babri Masjid was coming down, his was the wittiest voice in Parliament. The razor sharpness of his wit did more to cut the BJP down to size than the sledgehammer of us blood-and-thunder types.

Today, Nitish is in alliance with the Masjid marauders.

Tell us what you think of this column