Cong faces survival test

• SP chief pushes for a Third Front at Pawar's stronghold Sangli
• Passing the Finance Bill is a threat to govt

Anita Saluja New Delhi: After the DMK pull-out and Samajwadi Party flexing its muscles, openly pushing for the formation of a Third Front, the UPA government may soon face a survival test, going by the rhetoric of SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav. At a function in Sangli, Yadav batted for a Third Front Government by suggesting the coming together of parties committed to social justice. "A coalition government is the need of the country, as no single party can come to power at Centre on its own strength," he remarked. In the second-half of the Budget Session, if any one of its supporting parties � BSP or SP � vote against the Finance Bill, along with the Opposition, the Manmohan Singh government collapses, forcing early elections. Yadav, of late, has been sending signals to the Congress not to take his party for granted. While earlier, he had praised BJP patriarch L K Advani, now he is seen to be cozying up to NCP leader Sharad Pawar. The Opposition, which is reluctant to bring a No-Confidence Motion, may support the cut-motion brought by any of the parties. The reason for the tough posturing of Yadav is twin-fold. While he is keen to bargain with the Congress for supporting the government from outside, at the same time, he wants to take the lead to form the Third Front. Speaking at a public function in Maharashtra, Yadav signalled to the like-minded parties to be a part of non- Congress and non-BJP platform. He would be eagerly awaiting their response. The survival of the UPA government would be dependent largely on the formation of the Third Front at the Centre. At present, no regional party, including NCP, JD (U), BJD, RJD or RLD and the Left is interested to go for early elections.A It was at a formal function that Mulayam Singh Yadav happened to talk to L K Advani, who, in a passing reference, informed him that he was getting adverse reports about Akhilesh government in UP. Much to the chagrin of the BJP leadership, soon Yadav went public, praising Advani and cautioning his son, to follow the right course in running the administration. Yadav is weighing all his options and has taken the extreme step of siding with Advani vis-� -vis Narendra Modi in the hope that if the former is projected as the Prime Ministerial candidate of the BJP, the polarisation would not be acute. The Congress, which is keen to pass important legislations like Food Security Bill, Land Acquisition Bill, Lok Pal, Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Bill, Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill and GST Bill, is unlikely to get the nod from political parties, now that political temperatures are running high. No one, including outside Allies like SP and BSP, as also the Opposition, would like the Congress government to get credit for passing the crucial Bills, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. With Mulayam Singh Yadav raising his decibel levels high, the focus has shifted away from landmark legislations to the very survival of the government. The immediate worry of the Congress is to pass the Finance Bill, ensuring that the cut-motions do not get the requisite numbers. Mustering a simple majority of 272 to continue in office is seen to be a big challenge for the government.