The Presidential poll has brought out the very worst in India’s politicians. With intrigue and subterfuge overtaking all principles and rational discourse it has become impossible to predict the future. Yesterday it was pointed out in these columns the irrationality of Mr. Narendra Modi’s provocative remarks against Bihar politicians which invited strong response from Mr. Nitish Kumar. However it should not be concluded therefore that Mr. Nitish Kumar’s response was any less motivated. Mr. Pranab Mukherjee’s admirer Mr. NK Singh is a close adviser of Mr. Nitish Kumar. Mr. Modi’s provocation might well have served as a convenient excuse to announce a pre-determined decision by Mr. Nitish Kumar. Like puppets on strings the two chief ministers might well be facilitating a script written elsewhere.

Now there arises one more inexplicable statement that appears to reveal a public mask quite different from the private face. Congress party spokesperson Mr. Rashid Alvi has launched a blistering unprovoked attack against Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav accusing him of being the BJP’s biggest agent. Could Mr. Alvi have spoken thus without being confident that Congress President, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, would not dismiss him?  Could he have been unaware of the crucial need for Mr. Mulayam Singh’s support to Mr. Pranab Mukherjee for the Presidential poll? Or was he aware that the Congress President, as long suspected in the grapevine, was not least happy about Mr. Mukherjee’s expected elevation to Rashtrapati Bhawan? 

There are too many wheels within wheels. There are too many masks worn for public display in order to hide the private faces behind them. There are still days to go before the final nominations and a month to go before the voting. It would be reckless to predict with certainty the results given the unprecedented opportunism and intrigue that plagues Indian politics.