Laloos Tamasha

The one point in Mr Yadav's favour is that none can claim that he has let them down. He is merely being his own unashamed self. What is far more serious is the way in which the ruling United Front is tying itself up in knots in seeking to rationalise its inaction over him. Mr Yadav should have been sacked long ago because of the breakdown of the constitutional machinery in Bihar. The investigative machinery was being severely handicapped in its effort to pursue the course of justice concerning the hawala accused. And the Front should have categorically declared the day the Rashtriya Janata Dal was formed that the Front would have no truck with it. Instead it has gone through incredible contortions to try and justify its inaction. In the process, the government has proved that it is unable to deliver the minimum expected of a formation in power.

Consequently, almost every political group both within and without the Front, are showing signs of getting ready for the next elections. If it had done otherwise, it would have both earned the right to rule and also made it worthwhile for others to invest in its future. Mr Yadav's latest act and the central government's helplessness in the face of it have reduced the latter to a farce. The sooner all of them go, both in Patna and Delhi, the better it will be for the country.