Between the lines in UP

Why did industrialist Anil Ambani resign from Parliament? Why is Subrato Roy maintaining such a low profile and not hanging around with his old friends? Why are Amitabh Bachchan and his angst ridden wife, Jaya Bachchan, so quiet even after being hurt by the Congress party? Or for that matter, why is Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Mulayam Singh Yadav, not breathing fire at Sonia Gandhi and keeping his lieutenant, Amar Singh, at bay? Many of these questions are going around in political circles for a while, but there are no clear answers as no one really has a clue as to why all this is happening and how all this would politically translate in the crucial elections to Uttar Pradesh in February 2007.

Many of these happenings are attributed to the attempts by Sonia handlers to revive the party in Uttar Pradesh by putting on the defensive those opposed to her. Many of these worthies had tried to upstage the Congress, but without much luck. Anil Ambani and Sahara boss Subroto Roy have been giving an impression that their businesses have been hurt by being on the wrong side of Sonia and the Congress. The loss of Delhi airport modernisation contract for Anil Ambani and Sahara’s problems with RBI provided as evidence of how wrong politics can harm business. If both of them look chastened then the reasons are obvious.

Chief Minister Yadav also seems to have mellowed down after the manifest estrangement of his close allies as well as the fear that his party might loose against Bahujan Samaj Party in 2007 assembly elections. A vulnerable Yadav and his party provide the Congress an opportunity to explore the possibility of having an alliance with him. Ideally, the Congress would want to tag along with Mayawati, who seems to be on a winning wicket, but the lady does not seem to be willing. Both Yadav and Congress are desperate to remain in power and all this manipulation at different levels could lead to some stunning political equations. That is - if Yadav is willing to jettison his man Friday, Amar Singh.