The Congress, leading the UPA at the Centre since 2004, has been fighting on many fronts virtually single-handedly from past few months.
If the Civil Society-led by social activist Anna Hazare is trying to fix the party and its Union ministers on the Lokpal issue, the main Opposition BJP is taking the black money issue to the people through L.K. Advani’s yatra that began on Tuesday.
The Congress’ crisis managers are trying hard to resolve the issue of a Telangana state demand.
The scams in the spectrum allocations, CWG amd Aadarsha Housing in Mumbai has already put the party on the defensive.
If the 2G spectrum allocation issue has led to the isolation of the DMK in the UPA, the Trinamul Congress’s main objective is to check the Congress’ growth in West Bengal after defeating the Left. And in Maharashtra, the fighting for politcal space continues between the Congress and the ally NCP even after ten years.
The Congress is not worried about the Opposition which continues to be divided. It also knows very well that the BJP cannot be its alternate politically as long as it goes ahead with the Hindi, Hindu and Hindutva line. But price rise and corruption are the two main issues which can make its government unstable if not contained urgently. While the party is gearing up to fight the Assembly polls in about half-a-dozen states in the next year, including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, its Union ministers and chief ministers have a tough to deliver effectively.