Left-handed compliment

Well, the Left may have been vociferous about its opposition to the nuke deal, but no words were required to influence one small change. The Ministry of Defence has dropped all its publicity plans for the multi-nation naval exercises in the Bay of Bengal knowing the Communists are against the whole idea of India sharing its backwaters with the US. So, even as the biggest ever exercise hosted by the Indian Navy gets under way early in September, there will no media visits for the Malabar exercise. Insiders say that an extensive publicity plan had been drawn up but had to be shelved after the meeting between the Defence Minister and the Left leaders on the 123 agreement.