Mr Bidwai has effectively articulated the unspoken thoughts of many non-partisan, thinking Indians about the Jharkhand episode. The Governor committed the indiscretion of hurriedly inviting the leader of an alliance claiming majority without carefully verifying the claim and giving them a long notice for proving their majority in the House. In the normal course the ministry would have fallen for lack of numbers. But the apprehension was that some of the MLAs from the Opposition (& Independents) might switch sides thereby converting the minority Govt into a majority Govt! Hence the kidnapping and herding of the Opposition MLAs through labyrinthian routes to a destination in Rajasthan and insulating them from the rest of the world. In the whole episode, in my view, those who emerged dirtiest are the NDA gang who seemed even to physically force some of the Independent MLAs into their gang. In the order of infamy committed by them, the 'unheroes' are NDA, UPA/Governor, and to some extent the Judiciary, followed by the President of India. And there is no single hero in sight, other than, arguably, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Mr Somnath Chatterji, who saw long-term implications.
