It was with a growing sense of horror that even the supporters of the United Progressive Alliance-II watched 86-year-old Sis Ram Ola's faltering progress through his swearing-in and, once he became minister, his performance when Doordarshan tried to coax a response out of him during prime-time news. (Ola just yelled "kya? kya?" and slammed down the phone on the anchor who gave a sickly smile and informed viewers: "Mujhe lagta hai sampark toot gaya hai" - I think we've lost the connection.)