At the other end of the age spectrum, Advani has also been trying to get his party away from a hoary old ideology of Pakistan-hating. His perfectly sensible and, one may add, historically accurate, remarks on Jinnah brought the world down on him. Petty jealousy was, of course, one reason motivating his critics but one must not underestimate the sheer stupidity of some of these chaddiwalas. They read little and think hardly ever at all. This became clear in the Ram Sethu quarrel when the RSS/VHP mob was surprised to find that 70 years ago, Ramaswamy Naicker had penned a devastating critique of the Ramayana. Even when either of the two Tamil Nadu parties were allies of the BJP, no one seems to have bothered to ask what the ideology of the Dravidian reform movement has been all these years. But then what can you expect of a parivar which gets its Ramayana from Ramanand Sagar and not Valmiki?

But just as Rahul Gandhi has no choice but to slog it out in politics, Indian democracy has, alas, little choice at present but to rely on the only two national parties — Congress and BJP — to look after the national interest. The Left, which once had a national reach, has proved that it is more obsessed with anti-Americanism than with India’s national interest. Now that it has also shown that it can be as thuggish as the Shiv Sena and surrender to Muslim fundamentalism, one may stop treating it with even a smidgen of respect. Post-Nandigram and post-Taslima, the decks are clearer. One can rethink coalition politics.

... contd.