At the same, the 'secular' Left feels comfortable in sharing power with Muslim League whose membership is not open to non-Muslims and they espouse the cause of Muslims and Muslims alone. How is Muslim League 'secular' as against the other parties like BJP, Shiv Sena and the like 'communal' is beyond comprehension. It is also a fact that the Left parties and others whom they are trying to rope in for the Third Front, are the organizations who have fought elections against each other at one time or the other, and more recently in Lok Sabha, State assemblies. And recall the short stint of the earlier avtar of a similar political tie-up in 1996, christened as United Front (UF), which catapulted HD Deve Gowda as PM. The same Gowda for whom 'communal' BJP became 'secular' when it helped him realize his dream to see his son as CM of Karnataka and who after expiry of 20 months refused to support the 'communal' BJP Government as per agreement. CPI then shared power at the Centre while CPM extended outside support to UF as does it to the Left today to UPA. Left was then part of United Front to keep "Congress out of power" as it is, ironically, supporting Congress-led UPA to keep 'communal' BJP away from power. In 1996 also, the 'secular' Left and UF strained every nerve to make Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) to sever its alliance with 'communal' BJP and to join UF to strengthen the forces of 'secularism'. When SAD refused, for them grapes turned sour and SAD 'communal'. In fact, these political affiliations, particularly those presently constituting the United Progressive Alliance at the Centre and the Left parties supporting it from outside, are strange bed-fellows. The Left parties support Congress in Delhi, but oppose it in the National Capital Region Delhi where Congress is ruling. They are opposing Congress in Tripura, West Bengal and Kerala. In the Bihar, UP, Gujarat and Himachal assembly elections the Left opposed the Congress. So about the recently held elections in the North-eastern States of Nagaland, Meghalaya and Tripura. The fact of the matter is that it is very difficult, nay impossible, to say with a sense of certainty as to which State or place the Left parties, UPA partners, and the likes of Samajwadi Party, TDP, RLD etc are supporting or opposing whom? And equally impossible is to explain the rationale behind such too frequent turn arounds. Forget about others; there is no unity of thought and action within the Left Front even. The Forward Block and RSP are at loggerheads with the big brother CPM.

In the West Bengal local body elections, Forward Block contested, for the first time, against CPM candidates, as also in Tripura assembly elections. Even within the CPM the fissures are widening, coming in the open.

The feud between the Kerala Chief Minister and CPM Secretary is well-known. In West Bengal too, the CPM continues to speak in different and divergent tongues. Charges of corruption are being hurled at each other openly. The reigning principle at the moment seems to be that if you align with me and support me, you are honest, intelligent and 'secular'. The moment you desert me, you become a useless individual, corrupt and 'communal'. Shankar Singh Vaghela, a well-known RSS man, was 'communal' till he revolted against BJP and joined hands with anti-BJP forces and, ultimately, became a Congressman. So about Shiv Sena's Narayan Rane. The moment he rebelled against Shiv Sena and joined Congress, he transformed himself into a 'secular' soul. Whatever interpretation we may give to the concept of defections, in reality and practice, if the decision helps me, it becomes a 'call of conscience' and pious act. If it goes against me, it is an abominable sin. What will be common in the political parties who, if ultimately, succeed in constituting themselves into a Third Front retaining their individual identities and their own programmes and policies--a common minimum programme (CMP) that may be thrashed out ultimately to be supervised by a coordination committee? But this is what the present UPA and the Left have under the present dispensation. Yet, the Left parties and many UPA constituents continue to give vent to their grouse that the Congress is not honestly treading on the dotted lines of the CMP.

They continue to condemn UPA for price rise, increase in petroleum product prices, Indo-US deal and what not. So how - and in what way -- will the new arrangement called Third Front, be different from the one prevailing under what is today called UPA? What are the principles that rule the present-day politics in India and what binds our political parties? Practically nothing. The only ism that rules our politics is rank opportunism and greed for power. Nothing is good or bad, said Shakespeare, our thinking makes it so. So nothing is good or bad, nothing is pious or sinful as long as it leads us to the pinnacle of power. That seems to be the reigning principle. The people, which many of us so humbly call 'our masters', are just the pawns in the game of politics. They give us votes; we rule over them. They give us power; we enjoy the fruits of power.