The secular Mulayam, the non-Communal Paswan, the non-fundamentalist Laloo and the Rant saviour Kanshi Ram, all seem to have one virtue in common; the total absence of scruples when it comes to coming to power or retaining it. Not that the other members of the rogueâs gallery, which is what our political class resembles are free of the above malaise. It is just that these men have made secularism and minority politics their only selling points, While the others wittingly or unwittingly fall in line with their scheme.
 The present UP imbroglio is yet another pointer to the absolute hollowness of the secular school of thought as represented by the above mentioned gentlemen. The President K.R.Narayananâs decision to refuse to accept the recommendation of the UF Cabinet should be considered more of a rejection of this farce rather than a mere act of assertion by the constitutional head of the nation.
No one can say that the President of the country is non-secular; nor can any one dare to suggest that he is anti-Dalit. He would have had no choice but to sign on the dotted line had the Cabinet reiterated its recommendation as desired by the secular Mulayam and his bete noire Kanshi, and left the matter to the mercy of the courts, which would then have become inevitable. Yet nothing of that sort happened. The UF cabinet simply buckled making it clear as crystal that the hoax has failed to click. No doubt legal wisdom must have also prevailed upon to drive sense into both the hard-headed obstinates on the one side and the weak gentlemen who literally begged to differ on the other side. It is disconcerting to learn that the very learned Prime Minister falls under the latter category and almost succumbed to the machinations of the perpetrators of the secular fraud. The Presidentâs timely  assertion of his moral authority has no doubt saved the day for democracy albeit to the chagrin of Kesri and Kanshi.
The duoâs claim that the BJP has committed an act of political chicanery rings hollow. Even so they were as much a part of the dirty episode as the victor. It is just that the BJP got one up on them and beat them at their own game. The fact that Kesri has retreated as silent as a Iamb and Kanshi has a long face is ample proof that the rug pullers have been humbled, at least temporarily. We are thankful to the President for enabling this and urge him to present to the nation such spectacles of long faces as frequently as possible.
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