Never was a farce enacted for the entertainment of so many by so few. “Then he goes on to quote the well-known observation that history would have taken an entirely different course had Cleopatra’s nose been somewhat shorter.” This is a quote Prakash Karat will recognise. It is from Georgi Plekhanov’s (1856-1918) “The Role of the Individual in History”. A senior UPA minister once remarked, Prakash Karat is a communist, Harkishan Singh Surjeet is a politician. Had they known, both Karat and Surjeet would probably have been flattered, noting that “dealer” is an anagram of “leader”. July 22 is not a very significant date in world history. Cleveland (Ohio) was founded, Wiley Post became the first person to fly solo around the world, Saddam Hussein’s sons were killed, John Dillinger was shot, Gregor Mendel was born and Walter Morrison obtained a patent for a “flying toy” that would be the Frisbee. But in India, all eyes are on July 22, 2008, in what is reminiscent of a Twenty20 game.

Whatever transpires, India will keep debating the “what if” of individual quirks and chance events in influencing, if not determining, history. What if Surjeet and Jyoti Basu had been younger and healthier? What if the CPM hadn’t committed a historic blunder in 1996? What if the PM had not granted that ill-fated interview to The Telegraph in August 2007? What if Karat and Bardhan had been made to sign the Official Secrets Act and shown the safeguards agreement? What if the nuclear deal had been projected as an international agreement rather than an India-US one? What if the SP had been invited to the high table dinner in 2004? What if Amar Singh had shown less logorrhoea in demanding windfall profit tax for oil companies in advance? What if a new petroleum secretary had been named a few days later, after July 22? What if Shibu Soren had been brought back as coal minister in August 2007? What if Ajit Singh had been persuaded to remain with the Congress in 1996? What if the RLD had become part of the UPA and been offered cabinet posts in 2004? In allocating ministerial posts, the UPA has done worse. What if Lucknow airport had been named after Charan Singh earlier? What if the JD(S) had become part of the UPA? What if Kuldeep Bishnoi had not been suspended from the Congress? What if the Congress had been more forthcoming in support of a Telangana state? What if the nuclear deal hadn’t been branded as anti-Muslim and raised red flags for the AIMIM and the Muslim League?

... contd.