Nepe, Your PERSONAL conversation with Gautam-ji passes off as some sort of a pro-republican FACT with which you rejoice in public. YET, YET and YET you would dismiss Akhilesh's views just because they ran counter to your expectation. Your odd self-selection of views (based on what's appealing to your own political sympathies) is what I found unscientific about your arguments despite your claiming yourself to be a scientist. Look, any scientist -- or for that matter, any economist -- worth his salt knows that interpreting statistics is a matter of BOTH science AND art. I AGREE with you that the Q 26 could have been more neutrally phrased. But I AM NOT SURE that given the options available (and given the results collected) -- and read this carefully -- the ultimate ANSWER would have moved SIGNIFICANTLY in your political direction. That is why, I find your pouncing on the question to be simply a calculated ploy to exploit its narrow weakness WHILE ignoring the big picture. This is where I find your scientific "let me take a step back and look at the big picture" stance MISSING altogether, no doubt driven, as I suspect, by your POLITICAL considerations. ******** I did not say anything bout the student elections earlier because I did not have time to look at it carefully. I am not someone who throws his credentials around to make my point. Give me time, let me study the data, and then I will make my CAUTIOUS comments (based on evidence and NOT based on where my political sympathies lie!). oohi ashu