Because as long as Antulay remains a minister, whatever comments he makes draw in his government too. Can the government afford it? Can it afford to be worried about doing the right thing — letting a minister whose views on a key matter it cannot support — for fear of losing a perceived vote bank? Perhaps the question needs to be reframed. Can the government afford a play to a perceived vote bank — only perceived because in fact any number of Muslim leaders have rebuffed Antulay’s overture — and in the process increase the cost of eventual action? It did just that with the anti-terror law, after all, taking the timid political course only to be compelled by circumstances to eventually give in. In the meanwhile, there is nothing stopping the government from assuring the country that the Malegaon probe will continue purposefully.