For those addicted to mythological metaphors this one is straight from the classic Mahabharata. Arjun Munda, it would seem, has turned Yashwant Sinha into the tragic warrior Abhimanyu trapped by his own tactics. Riled by the level of ostentation and alleged corruption in Jharkhand, former Union minister Sinha apparently declared war on his own party's Government. "Jharkhand mein sarkar naam ki koi cheez nahin (there is no such thing as a government in Jharkhand)," he said on June 23. Sinha charged that instead of working for the interests of the poor, the Jharkhand Government was indulging in unwanted expenditure buying Ford Endeavour suvs and air conditioners.

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BREAK POINT: Sinha's accusation against Munda (left) sealed his fate

Any other time, this would have been par for the Parivar wracked by internal dissent and periodic episodes of rebellion. But that was not to be. On June 24, party general secretaries Rajnath Singh and Arun Jaitley told him not to air his views publicly but raise them within the party forum. Sinha accepted the gag order and even issued a conciliatory note stating, "There is no controversy in Jharkhand BJP and everything has been blown up disproportionately by the media." Yet, four days later the party without any new provocation removed Sinha from the post of party spokesperson. Placed in the context of the fact that Uma Bharati was not only condoned but even reinstated in the Parivar pantheon this action did seem a bit harsh.

Within and outside the party, the decision has sent ripples of surprise and speculation. Sinha is not just any other party person. He was the man chosen by the Sangh Parivar to be the finance minister after the RSS scuttled A.B. Vajpayee's efforts to back Jaswant Singh. Despite the tags of "second choice" and "roll back" minister, Sinha reigned supreme in North Block for five years before Vajpayee replaced him in 2003. Interestingly, Sinha was installed as external affairs minister purely at the insistence of L.K. Advani.

Even otherwise Sinha's has been a dream run in politics. The bureaucrat turned politician who quit service in 1984 first joined the Janata Party and then Chandra Shekhar's Samajwadi Janata Party. After a stint as finance minister in 1991 he was in oblivion till he joined the BJP in 1995. From leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly to party spokesperson, he finally got a berth in the Vajpayee cabinet in 1998. Much of Sinha's growth has been in a sense in the shadow of Advani.

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ACTING TOUGH: Advani's decision against Sinha shows the Jinnah chapter isn't over

Many, therefore, expected Sinha to take a more charitable view of the man who "mentored" his journey within the BJP and in politics. So it was surprising that the normally circumspect and tactful former minister should launch a very public attack against Advani. He questioned Advani's opinion on Jinnah by saying, "Jinnah will forever remain in our history as the person responsible for Partition. No certificate can erase the impression." He also questioned the propriety of Advani continuing as leader of the Opposition after quitting as party chief.

The uncharitable view then was that Sinha was trying to endear himself to the RSS. He reiterated his stand and followed up with a position paper on Pakistan's role in fostering terrorism and the doublespeak on the K factor. He said, "Advani's remarks on Jinnah diverted attention from the comments made by Musharraf and his foreign minister on Jammu and Kashmir. I consider his remarks in Pakistan unnecessary and avoidable." Many characterised his utterances as the chant of a hara-kiri artist. But in politics as elsewhere the theory of safety in anonymity and security in numbers works.

Although Sinha survived the post-J period it seemed fate was simply waiting for a lesser mistake. He made it by attacking the Munda regime. But Sinha was not alone in targeting him. Former chief minister Babulal Marandi, former MP Ram Tahal Chaudhary and former Union minister Karia Munda had also criticised the Arjun Munda regime. Karia even said, "I have heard allegations about financial mismanagement and scandalous transactions. When there is smoke there must be fire." While none of the trio were even censured Sinha found himself trapped.

Typically the rumour mills went working overtime. BJP's off-the-record briefing machines whirred into action. Sinha, they said, was looking at newer pastures. The rumour in Ranchi was that he was talking to one-time friend Mulayam Singh Yadav, in Delhi he was said to be talking to the JD(U) while his Mumbai visit triggered speculation of his joining the NCP. On his part, Sinha who is very close to Vajpayee and is helping him write a book (along with Arun Shourie) has scotched all speculation with "I have no intention of going anywhere". What's more, he promises to stay around and "raise issues within the party forum".

Obviously, the rumours and briefings were meant to cover up the viciousness of unstated vendetta. Clearly, the empire struck back. Advani sent a missive to the party general secretaries and Sinha was removed as party spokesperson. Ironically, while Sinha may have gone public and paid for it, the others in the party who targeted Advani have not only stayed back but also found no reason to defend Sinha.

Suddenly it doesn't seem to be quite an Arjun versus Abhimanyu ne Sinha war. It would seem the charioteer, Lal Krishna Advani, is calling the shots.

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