The blame for the defections in UP cannot, admittedly, be laid entirely at the central leadership's door. But they were made easier—in fact inevitable—by the party's silence and confusion after Gujarat and the contrast this presented to the renewed vigour of the BJP. The plain truth is that if you ask a Congressman what his party stands for today, he has few answers. When a party has no ideology and no larger purpose, people join it only to promote or enrich themselves. The moment they see this prospect dwindling, they abandon ship. If the Congress cannot rediscover a raison d'etre, UP may be only a beginning.