It was amusing to watch the volte face done by the PM Mr.Manmohan Singh at the HT Leadership summit a few days ago. This volte face has shattered the facade of Mr.Manmohan Singh as one of the select few politicians who have an iota of integrity about them. In trying to save his government the blushes, Mr.Singh has shown himself to be no different from any other politician. Given the stature of the PM and the importance he attached to the deal, people atleast expected him to stand up and call the bluff of the Left. Alas power can do strange things to even the best amongst us.
In the ruckus over the nuclear deal, I see a sinister plan by the Left to position itself as the alternative to the Congress and the BJP. Though the Left doesn't have a significant base in India other than in Kerala and West Bengal, it has hogged the national limelight now as a result of the ineffective leadership of the BJP. The Left is cleverly using this opportunity to increase people's awareness of its policies while keeping the government in limbo. In my opinion, the threats of the Left are just canards being played out to the media. The Left is enjoying its role and will not want to bring this government down at any cost. Who knows what the elections might hold for them?
To conclude, I think the Congress will lose whatever groundswell of support it has currently if it goes on without doing much to improve the levels of governance. It is now for the Congress to decide if it is willing to be in a worse situation much later.
