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Jaswant Singh's mole may have entertained the nation for a while and increased sales of his book but it's left the BJP feeling quite ridiculous. In a session where they had hoped to climb into the government on the terror front, they have been left foolishly hunting down a mole that seems lost in the woodwork of the venerable Rajput's weighty rhetoric.
The mole has certainly landed Jaswant in a hole vis-a-vis the party and the larger Sangh parivar. RSS spokesman Ram Madhav told Outlook: "This mole has taken up too much time of the country and Parliament. If the mole is known to anyone, they should tell the name to the concerned authorities and put an end to it." Still, party elders A.B. Vajpayee and L.K. Advani have vetoed arguments to replace him as Opposition leader in the Rajya Sabha since it's the middle of the monsoon session. So he can at least hope for a reprieve, and then of course there's the short public memory.
The damage to Jaswant has been such that speculation reached nigh incredulous levels at one point on a possible successor in the RS. The natural replacement for the influential position would be Sushma Swaraj, an excellent parliamentarian and also deputy leader of the BJP in the Rajya Sabha. Sushma will have Advani's backing and that of sections of the BJP and RSS but is likely to be vetoed by Vajpayee. Arun Jaitley, another fine speaker in the Upper House, is not in contention although his name is always included in any media speculation. Murli Manohar Joshi is the dark horse, fully backed by the RSS and someone who could win over Vajpayee. Advani would oppose him, but his clout has waned.
But it is Yashwant Sinha, another ex-foreign minister currently leading the charge in Parliament who appears well-placed to replace Jaswant, should he go after the session concludes at the end of the month. Indeed, Sinha, who has reportedly ingratiated himself with Vajpayee, is working on a strategy that has far more serious consequences for Indian politics than Jaswant's mole. His attempt to forge an understanding with the Left to place the government on the mat vis-a-vis the Indo-US nuclear deal has already rattled Manmohan Singh. The PM told a Left leader it would be the "end of the day" should they come together with the BJP for a resolution against the deal. Pranab Mukherjee even described this as the "end of the UPA".
But there's no real threat to the government, the CPI(M) being more concerned with the posturing. The "expression of the House" is likely to be some sort of discussion which will begin with the PM making a brief statement followed by members stating their reservations. The exact details remain unclear. But what is clear is that the BJP sees the Indo-US deal as the chink in the Manmohan government armour.
Sources say the strategy is being pushed by Vajpayee himself. His political antenna has reportedly led him to conclude that in the current global environment, an American embrace can be damaging for any political party. It may be recalled that during his prime ministership Vajpayee had pulled back at the last minute from sending troops to assist the Americans in Iraq. The BJP will not articulate its opposition to the nuclear deal in so many words, preferring to harp on the old "selling off of India's independence". But the thinking behind the posturing is very political. It's just that there's a mole that's crossed their path.
