A cakewalk

So much for healthy political debate. On his birthday last week, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat cut a celebratory cake that was in the shape of the state of Uttarakhand. Wasting no time, the Opposition alleged that Rawat had not just cut a cake, it was actually a metaphor for his plans to bifurcate the state itself. Rawat retorted he would resign from chief ministership if the Opposition was able to prove there was, indeed, such a plan. In any case, he added, he didn't believe in cutting birthday cakes.