If they did, you would not be seeing the kind of disgraceful wheeling and dealing we witness today. The citizens of India are not unfamiliar with horse-trading, with sworn enemies becoming sworn friends for short-term electoral gains. Alas, the shenanigans currently on display are not in pursuit of winning the general election, they are in pursuit of an agenda which has little relevance as far as the voter is concerned. Indeed, the callous indifference to what really matters—rising prices—is both shameful and shocking. It is not the crazy realignments that are disgusting but the priorities of a government allegedly dedicated to the common man.