In power politics, the Left does do some proposing. The CPI has given a clarion call for a third front from its conclave. The CPM has proposed this before, and used it whenever convenient to embarrass or insult the Congress. Now, if there is a third front and if it ‘wins’ — those are two ifs as big as the Himalayas — what role would the Left play? Support from the outside again? Front strategists may answer that the issue is moot because a third front prime minister — again, this is assuming that the third front can actually elect a PM from among half a dozen hopefuls — will never propose anything the Left will oppose. In that case, and this is another scary speculation, what will the front’s economic policy be?