One of the AICC spokespersons, Mr Abhishek Singhvi, MP has been literally caught with his pants down. A video which shows him and a woman in a compromising position is already being viewed in cyberspace despite a court order against its publication or distribution.

He not only had to quit the party spokesperson’s post but also as head of a key parliamentary panel. Mr Singhvi has rubbished the video and insists that the disc was morphed, but isn’t that the defence of all those caught in a deeply embarrassing situation? The Law Minister, Mr Salman Khurshid’s explanation that what happened was Mr Singhvi’s business and one must draw a line between the public and private life of a person might prevail in court or Parliament, but in cyberspace a video is worth a million words and Mr Singhvi will have an uphill task defending his position. Mr Singhvi is not the first politician to be caught having a romp with a female and neither will he be the last. The former Andhra Pradesh governor, Mr N D Tiwari had to step down after a video of him having a sexual encounter with three women surfaced. Mr Bill Clinton and Ms Monica Lewinsky were a huge scandal that rocked the US establishment and threatened his presidency. Agreed, what Mr Singhvi does in his office is private, but as an MP and head of a powerful parliamentary panel, there could be more than what meets the eye. The allegation is that there might have been a quid pro quo involved in the episode. True of false, only an investigation will bring out the truth. Mr Singhvi could well spend the rest of his political life trying to clear his name, but the sad part is it will stick to him like bubble gum. That is perhaps the price one has to pay for an act of indiscretion in public life.