Geek Squad and the Half Blooded Leaders

Its not that these guys are not likeable.


They are intelligent. Articulate. Well informed. Espouse a ideology, not a dynasty. Always work as a team, atleast visibly. Young, comparatively. Never been indicted.


On any day, they would be everyone's choice for political office.



Its sad to see what these guys are upto, though. All through Mr. Singh's tenure, the Left has behaved as the proverbial remote control. Power without Accountability - the heady mix that triggered the collapse of the beacon of communism almost two decades ago - is tormenting the Indian polity today.


Thrusted to the Lok Sabha in unexpectedly large numbers in 2004, the Left, instead of expending the 'political capital' by constructively contributing to the nation, is today belying the apparent maturity in its ranks by choosing to act as a barking dog and nothing more.


The brouhaha created by Karat and Co. over the nuclear deal is a case in point. I am not saying that they don't have a point. They do. The geek-squad(to borrow a term from capitalist America) always has a point. Taking the 123 bait may not be worth the risk. For 60 years, India has managed to speak its own voice. We did squeak non-alignment, but our actions were clearer than words. It was always From Russia With Love.


Keeping Vodka as the nation's first drink had its advantages(although, ideally, we should have stopped at vodka and not imported all that bureaucracy). We were safe from both Uncles Sam and Mao. It helped that the Soviet Union was communist. That way we couldn't be accused of creating a race or religion based brotherhood.


Not to digress, but yes, Russia, SAARC and the Commonwealth kept India fairly busy. Pakistan too helped, chipping in with a war here and there. And throughout, India had to ask NOBODY before making its own decision on stuff. And that kept our big-fat nation fairly safe. Either people didn't know whose side we were on or they just assumed that we we on their side.


Which brings me back to the point of this post. I mostly agree with the Left's concerns on the implications (read obligations) this 123 agreement will carry with it. Yes, America is freaking awesome. Its like us - democratic and likes software. Its got Harley Davidson, Halle Berry and Homer Simpson. It has Google and Lockheed Martin. It also has Pepsi and NASA. America is America. It also produced Bush and gave him two lives. There is no reason it couldn't do the same again.


So yes, Karat and Co. are right. It helps that the little red book they carry says 'Hate America for the heck of it'. The 123 deal may not be in India's best interests. Not in this time and age. Not with Dr. Huntington keeping the score in the ongoing clash of civilizations.


But alas, are they, Karat and Co, going to do anything about it? NO. Suave Sitaram has entered the field. Now, it'll turn into a fight over the English literature in the 123 agreement.

Unfortunately, the Left's behaviour cannot be characterized as anything but irresponsible and convoluted and spans sheer tokenism. They are looking like a bunch of morons, just like the MPs from Samajwadi Party who opposed the deal for the heck of it. I don't expect the SP to understand geopolitics, but surely the Left must.


Like every other protest, this is nothing more than a hogwash. They won't let Madam leave office, for the fear that there is a Modi lurking to get his hands on India that is (Akhand)Bharat.
But they will keep up the noise, making people wonder what its all about when it doesn't matter.


Karat must be a happy man. He knows that until Madam calls his bluff, he can pester Dr. Singh. And when she does, he'll call Sita. No one in India enjoys so much power behind the scenes as does Karat. Its a shame that he is using it to cry wolf than to fight it.