Man Mohan Singh had to win the trust vote, as it posed a challenge for his survival. He won it ultimately, but it did some consequential damage for the nation. Was it a tarnished triumph? Are the new groupings not worse?

UPA with Amar Singh playing the major role will certainly be perceived as more corrupt. Why should the share prices of Anil Ambani’s companies go higher? Amar Singh asked for some concession for Anil Ambani and imposition of certain tax for RIL of Mukesh Ambani. As reported, he had sought the heads of Chidambaram and Deora too as a cost of support. At least leftists didn’t have liking for any specific business house. None of them were CBI scanner of disproportionate asset.

Mayawati as such the biggest threat to India with her type of political ambition and interest in asset accumulation has now the leftists as her sympathizers. Smaller unscrupulous party heads such as Dev Gowda will help in spreading her wing. Will leftists back her in her empire-building plan? Will the leftists visit Badalpur where the palace of the queen is getting ready? Many columnists thinks all her monsterous projects such as Taj Expressway and Ganga Expressway and its execution by her pet construction company are to accumulate the money required to let her dream realized. It is only because of her political strength that the leftists had to go to her tea and dinner. Is it not a great damage?

And what a horrendous damage to the image of Indian democracy! Can the cross voting and abstaining be without cost? Why should the media go silent on the Rs 1 crore shown to all the millions of the citizens? Where is its investigative journalism?

After the CBI threat, Mayawati withdrew her support. The leftists did the same soon, as they oppose US more than the Nuclear Deal. But Man Mohan Singh would have tried to avoid the bitterness with Parakash Karat. Why should Prakash Karat who worked with the government go to do all that he did to get the government defeated? Why should the breakup become a personal prestige issue? The leftists moved to Mayawati who they hated to give any importance earlier. The intense personal endeavours to collect MPs in ones and twos were the indications of the intensity of bitterness. The grouping made Mayawati the uncontested queen of the group and made her to see her dream of PM chair getting realized. Further to get her on their side, the leftists had to back her on CBI issue that related to her Rs 52 crore assets. Mayawati has gone stronger after the trust vote.

Man Mohan Singh had to take help of Sibu Soren also who has sold his votes for a price known to everyone. So the UPA is now more tainted than what it was earlier. Barkha Dutt says, “When Shibu Soren returns to the Cabinet, the PM can’t disassociate himself from a decision he once so bitterly opposed. And if it turns out that the BJP MPs who brandished bundles of cash in Parliament were telling the truth about being bribed, the PM’s squeaky clean image could take a knock as well.”

I still will like to go for an inconceivable solution of understanding between Sonia Gandhi and Advani for the glory of democracy that even Karan Thapar suggests.

Some Views from Media:
1. Housewarming by Barkha Dutta
2. Cash Strapped by Rajdeep Sardesai
3. Bonfire of Morality by Vir Sanghvi
4. Is it really conceivable? By Karan Thapar
5. Trust Vote – Winners & Losers by Surjit S Bhalla