Chandigarh:
The swearing-in ceremony for Parkash Singh Badal as the Chief Minister of Punjab - he has been re-elected - has exposed the fissures not just within the Congress-led UPA , but its big political rival, the NDA, which is steered by the BJP. It is the list of attendees that has exposed the problems of both national coalitions, one that is in power, and another that's hoping to replace it.
Mr Badal, who is 84, will run his government once again as a partnership between his Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP, whose president Nitin Gadkari is attending today's ceremony. Given the BJP's insipid performance in other state elections this month, today's ceremony allows a show of strength for the party and its partners. But one of the most prized members of its coalition, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, is not present. Sources say one of the reasons for Mr Kumar's RSVP is because he did not want to be seen alongside senior BJP leader and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who is among the attendees. Mr Kumar has made no secret of his position on Mr Modi - he did not allow him to campaign in Bihar during the general elections in 2009, and then again in the state elections a year later. Mr Kumar's political allergy to the Gujarat Chief Minister is based on not wanting to alienate his Muslim voters. The communal riots of 2002 in Gujarat took place when Mr Modi was Chief Minister and 1200 people were killed, most of them Muslims.
Sources in the NDA say Mr Kumar still regrets being made to share a stage with Mr Modi at a rally in Ludhiana during the NDA's campaign for the Lok Sabha elections. Mr Modi had walked upto the Bihar Chief Minister and posed for photographs with him. The same photo was used in newspaper ads by Mr Modi's loyalists to promote his government and the money donated by Gujarat to Bihar for its flood-relief programme.
The UPA's increasing vulnerability was on stark display as well. The Congress had asked its partners not to violate "coalition dharma" through demonstrations of support to non-UPA members. Strong hints were dropped for allies to avoid the swearing-in ceremonies in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, where the Samajwadi Party decimated the Congress' hope of a revival. But Union Minister Praful Patel, whose Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is a member of the UPA was seen at Chapar Charri, a place near Mohali, where the Akali Dal government has built a Sikh memorial. The thunder, however, has been stolen with typical brazenness by another UPA member, Ms Banerjee. She is not at the ceremony, but has sent three senior delegates including union minister Mukul Roy to represent her. The seniority of her trio is in sharp contrast to the lone first-time MP who filled in for Ms Banerjee at a dinner hosted by the Prime Minister last night for all members of the UPA. At the dinner, the Congress made it clear that allies need to present a united front in what has already turned into a tough Budget session.
Ms Banerjee's party had originally said she would attend Mr Badal's swearing-in; a severe public reprimand from the Congress may have provoked her to attend by proxy, though her party said she will remain in Kolkata for the session of the West Bengal Assembly.
Ms Banerjee's collisions with the coalition that she belongs were updated yesterday- her party has moved amendments to the President's address made in Parliament earlier this week. Ms Banerjee wants references to the National Counter Terrorism Centre, which she opposes, to be deleted from the speech. The Opposition BJP has moved a similar amendment and is likely to push for a vote. If that happens, Ms Banerjee's MPs will most likely vote against the government they belong to. At the PM's dinner last night, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee who is regularly assigned to manage Ms Banerjee said this could bring down the government.