New Delhi, July 2 (IANS) If politics is the art of nuance, then Samajwadi Party’s much debated future strategy can perhaps be gleaned by simply listening to its general secretary Amar Singh. Congress president Sonia Gandhi — once the bete noire of the Samajwadi Party that is being wooed by the Congress for support on the nuclear deal — has overnight shot up in the party’s esteem. Amar Singh has started adding a reverential “ji” after her name. She is no longer referred to as “Sonia Gandhi” or “10, Janpath”. She is now a respectful “Soniaji”.

Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial hopeful L.K Advani, on the other hand, has been shorn off the “ji” that trailed his name. Amar Singh has started referring to Advani brusquely as “Lal Krishna Advani” rather than “Advaniji”.

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About foes and friends

The Samajwadi Party has also rediscovered the true worth of the former Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Harkishen Singh Surjeet and his words of political wisdom. Amar Singh, who scoffed at Surjeet in the past for bailing the Congress out, now says that the ailing Marxist leader always longed for the Samajwadi Party and the Congress to be friends.

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Paparazzi chase

The meeting between National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan and Amar Singh Wednesday was billed ‘top secret’ with neither side revealing the venue. Narayanan was to unravel the nuclear deal to Amar Singh layer by layer so that his party can end its dilemma and take a stand. The Samajwadi Party still does not know whether to support or oppose the deal.

As Amar Singh’s car zoomed out of his 27, Lodi Estate bungalow, and moved towards Khan Market with the media entourage trailing it, police vans drew up and barricaded the road. They refused to allow the media to follow the Samajwadi Party leader to his undercover destination.

Thwarted on their trail, the journalists shouted at the police which summoned more personnel to the spot. Honking cars, wildly gesticulating journalists, angry policemen and animated bystanders held up traffic for 20 minutes.

By the time peace descended, Amar Singh had disappeared to his “undisclosed destination”.