POLITICAL COMMENT The Ringside View

Economist Column Hi-Jacking of Swadesh in name of Swadeshi. Ringside View Not a Teacup Tempest

No, it was not tempest in a tea-cup.

No longer were it threats and theatrics from BJP's southern ally.

It turns out to be "political earthquake" engendered by seven-minute summit of Jaya-Sonia.

A week passed by since Swamy had hosted his famous tea-party where Jaya-Sonia closeted together. Delhi has since been undergoing tremors.

After intermittent verbal duels, the southern ally have withdrawn its two Ministers from the BJP-led 18-party alliance Government at the Centre. Its supremo has declared her intention to replace the present government by an alternative alliance not guided by religion and caste factors.

One may recall appeasement of Jayalalitha has been one of Prime Minister Vajpayee's painful pre-occupation ever since he came to power one year ago. The ADMK supremo has all through kept the BJP on tenterhooks with one demand after another. Vajpayee has always gone extra mile to appease the southern ally. But her latest set of demands has pushed Vajpayee back to the wall. The latest bout of belligerence from ADMK supremo has not been taken kindly by the no-more-appeasement-of-Jaya faction inside the BJP. Her demands were turned down from BJP's Goa meet. So, the ADMK supremo has looked forward to her 'tested friends of the past.'

The present chief of her 'tested old friends', who was once dubbed by Jaya as foreigner and thus not qualified to lead the country, had gone out of her way to have a tete-a-tete with Jaya over a cup of tea. Still Sonia has not indicated her mind whether she wants a no-confidence motion against Vajpayee Government and which kind of Government she would choose if the present one falls. However, the tremors of 'political earthquake' engendered by Jaya-Sonia meet in Delhi is still continuing and possibly would continue till Parliament resumes it session next week.