If somebody compiles a selection of the most hypocritical political statements in our six decades since Independence, the Left’s argument, that the Republic must have a “political” President, but a “non-political” Vice-President, will rank right on the top. Of course, it could come back to haunt them five years from now when India has to find a new President. It would also blight the prospects of a perfectly decent gentleman like Hamid Ansari, unless the argument is, by then, that he has successfully completed his political apprenticeship while running the Rajya Sabha.

So breathtakingly audacious is their argument, and so remarkable the absence of any effort by Congressmen to counter it, despite murmurs when speaking off the record, that it only confirms the most important single fact that characterises the current political arrangement: that this UPA formulation represents the most stunning leveraged buyout of a government in our political history. The Left has simply leveraged its 60-odd MPs to hijack not just the tone and the agenda of this government but also the lawmaking ability of this Parliament (which is why so many bills supported by a wide majority of MPs can’t be passed).

So the Left rejects the first, second and third choices of the Congress for President and forces it to select a regional lightweight who brings in her wake controversies that could dog her entire Presidency and even become an issue in 2009. But it forces on the UPA its own first choice for Vice-President, albeit a much, much better one. You can now imagine how much better this will make the Left look in comparison as the Presidential choice of the Congress battles her way through controversies, unprotected by party spokesmen, proxies and handlers post July 25, while Hamid Ansari shines — and you can have no doubt about that, whatsoever. Give it a year or so, and people will have no doubt who made a better choice, who was wiser of the two and finally who, the Congress or the Left, at least had the freedom to choose.

... contd.