The finance minister of India is a coward. Or the Left Front must get ready to pull down the Manmohan Singh ministry.

Thus starts a well-written article by TVR Shenoy. Shenoy has never hidden the fact that he is an avid opponent of the Congress and the Left. He calls the various bluffs of the UPA government, particularly the stalemate-dance between the Congress and the Left.

The first indication that the Left Front and the Congress are engaged in a beautifully choreographed dance came on an obscure issue of politics rather than the public tiff over economic policy. This was Sonia Gandhi’s decision to induct E Ahamed of the Muslim League as a minister. She didn’t actually have much of a choice since he was the only candidate from the United Democratic Front — the Congress-led coalition in Kerala — to win a seat in the general election. But the Muslim League has been anathema to the Communists since 1987 when the legendary E M S Namboodiripad condemned it as a communal party (a term of abuse otherwise reserved for the BJP).

As Niraj had commented on a previous entry, the whole hell raised by the Leftists over the FDI issue is merely posturing. They can’t afford to do otherwise. It’d be a grave threat to Indian Secularism if the BJP/NDA returned to power.

I’m only waiting, watching the whole tirade, and anticipating the cracks to grow deeper.

Tags: Commentary, Indian Politics