In the spectrum of Indian political parties, there are some whose persistent, dogged existence continues to baffle, especially in the absence of notable differentiation. For instance, in what way — philosophically — is the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), formed on the basis of outrage over the foreign origins of Sonia Gandhi, any different from the Congress, especially as the two have cohabited in successive governments that were overseen and supervised by the self-same Sonia Gandhi?