Indian LEFT is exposing its ideological hollowness again. Attention is drawn to Prakash Karat’s latest statement that "the Vice President should be a non political intellectual." For the post of President of India CPM was of the opinion that he should be a political person. The justification given by him is that the Vice President doesn’t have any power to exercise and so he should be a non political person. This seems to be a thought which reflects very poorly about the mind of Mr. Karat and the LEFT for the following reasons.

1. This very statement of CPM is indirect admittance of the fact that the candidate LEFT selected for the President is a non intellectual. That be so than LEFT must equally own with the Congress the responsibility of getting India’s fate decided by a non intellectual.
2. The way the spirits have contributed in having Mrs. Patil becoming the New President of India shows that Spiritual world have an active role to play in the decisions of secular affairs of the would be President. LEFT likes and approves of that. LEFT proves its hypocrisy beyond doubt.
3. Mr. Karat exposes himself when he says that the Vice President doesn’t have the power and so he can be a non political intellectual. It is just demeaning both intellectuals and non political personalities. It also reflects poorly on his understanding of the Constitution. If he thinks that a non political person can’t play the role of a good President(as it appears from his statement for the Vice President eligibility) then it shows only his lack of appreciation of what President Kalam has done for the country. If he thinks intellectuals can’t handle the affairs of this country then forgets about S Radhakrishnan and Dr. Kalam. And if he thinks VP doesn’t have any role then he forgets that the VP is a Constitutional post and in absence of the President for some reason he/she executes the role of the President.
4. In fact the recent stand of LEFT on the issue of President doesn’t require any intellectual analyses. Why should one burden the mind with so many questions? It is a case of trade off. A simple quid pro quo. Accordingly it seems that LEFT has allowed the rubber stamp Presidential candidate Mrs. Patil for its own choice for Vice President. Expediency has overpowered ideology at a very low level. Design is already ready. Next days parleys will be only the effort to achieve the design under the garb of secularism/democracy/distancing/third front etc etc.