Dear Manmohan-ji,
Even by our politicians' disgraceful standards of morality, the alliance between the Samajwadi Party and Congress under your watch ('to keep communal forces at bay', the spokespersons of the two parties joyfully sing) marks a new low. The truth is, this alliance is spawned from a terror shared by both Congress and SP - terror of facing public wrath and extinction at the polls, in the face of runaway inflation and moribund governance.

In all this, sir, the tragedy is that your own reputation as a man of 'integrity' lies in tatters.

The public has indeed given you a long rope over the years, particularly the last four years of UPA (mis) rule; for we have believed  you to be a 'nice guy', a man of integrity and a great economist. Even when the Congress-led UPA  has been embroiled in the the most horrific scams and scandals, we have considered you a rare gem among a pack of scoundrels. Like Vajpayee in the BJP, you are the 'right man in the wrong party'. Or so we thought all these years; but now our belief is shaken to the core....

When you needed a Parliamentary constituency, we forgave you for declaring your home to be the residence of ex-Chief Minister of Assam Hiteswar Saikia. "After all," we told ourselves, "LK Advani of Pakistan has declared Ahmedabad as his home, so why should'n't you declare Guwahati your home?" Besides, didn't Duryodhana magananimously anoint Karna 'KIng of Anga' so that he could fight the 'noble' Arjuna?

After Sonia 'anointed' you  PM, we forgave you for having hardcore criminals - including convicted murderers and rapists -  in your cabinet. "Coalition compulsions,"  we shrugged. " The cabinet ministers are actually appointed by 10 Janpath; so don't blame Manmohan Singh, he is a nice guy. "

We have not not blamed you for passively watching while the China border talks deteriorated into squabbles; while China has become increasingly belligerent over taking over parts of Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. "Manmohan-ji knows what he is doing," we murmured. "His silence and inaction is part of a masterful strategy by which India will gain China's support for the Indo-US nuclear deal when it comes for approval before the Nuclear Suppliers Group - after all, China is a key NSG member!"

We kept quiet when Iran was alienated for the sake of your Indo-US N-deal, effectively ruining any prospects of India getting oil from Iran for the next century; we have absolved you of blame while your HRD minister has systematically divided the populace on the basis of caste and destroyed the few remaining centres of excellence in education; while your home minister, through incompetence and sheer callous disregard, has overseen the complete alienation of Manipur, the withering away of the Nagaland peace process, the communalization of Kashmir all over again over a 'land transfer' that was approved by a Congress government in that troubled state.

We kept our faith in you even when you refused to condemn the atrocities commited by the CPM and afiliated goons in Nandigram, the hundreds butchered and the tens of thousands injured and made refugees there and elsewhere in West Bengal.  "Political exigencies," we said, "the CPM is an ally." 

But now, with the CPM suddenly your enemy and this unholy Congress - SP alliance for the sake of a few months of power, even we have begun to wonder: has our dear Manmohan Singh descended to the level of the riffraff that surround him? Have you, in your desperation to pursue a chimerical N-deal with a lameduck US president, abandoned the righteous cause of fighting inflation, of providing governance? Have even you, sir, decided to put your gaddi before honour?  Are you indeed like mighty Yudhisthira, whose lofty chariot sank to the earth after he uttered a foul lie that ensured the Pandavas a Pyrrhic victory? Have you, sir, finally decided to put your gaddi before honour?

We see no evidence to the contrary. Alas, how the mighty have fallen...