Checks and balances can help coalition politics only if they are not reduced to partisan pulls and pressures. It is not quite clear what exactly prompted the senior Forward Bloc minister in the West Bengal government, Mr Kamal Guha, to suggest that there should be a deputy chief minister to ease the workload of Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. What is clear, though, is that Mr Guha is not alone in thinking that such a post is necessary. His party had floated the idea immediately after the Left Front returned to power last May, obviously hoping to get the job if it was to be created, as it is the second largest partner of the front. But the timing of Mr Guha's reiteration of the idea suggests that it is more a reflection of fresh tensions among the front constituents than anything else. In recent weeks, Mr Guha and other leaders of his party had taken potshots at the Communist Party of India (Marxist) for trying to suppress the voices of its junior partners. Discordant notes rang out from the Communist Party of India and the Revolutionary Socialist Party against the Marxists' allegedly unilateral decisions on important issues. Differences within the ruling coalition over the proposed legislation against organized crime and the increase in hospital and electricity charges were out in the open. The CPI(M) leadership was so embarrassed over the partners' public criticism of the government decisions that the front chairman, Mr Biman Bose, slapped a media ban on the dissenting voices. The contrary signals certainly do not measure up to the New Left that Mr Bhattacharjee had promised to usher in during the election campaign. Not only can bickering partners block the government's pro-change agenda, they could also send wrong signals about the government's ability to carry out long-delayed reforms. At long last, potential investors, hitherto scared away by the state's negative image, are giving a close look at West Bengal. It would be most unfortunate for the state if his cabinet colleagues - and not his political rivals - queer the chief minister's pitch. It is crucial that Mr Bhattacharjee carries his colleagues with him in forcing the pace of his reforms. He needs also to impress upon his party to be more accommodative towards the partners. There is a great deal of justification in the complaint that the CPI(M)'s 'big brotherly attitude' stands in the way of proper implementation of many rural development schemes. Even if Mr Bhattacharjee does not agree with Mr Guha's idea of a deputy chief minister, he would do well to consider the Forward Bloc's other suggestion that a core committee of the cabinet be set up to ensure better decision-making and monitoring of the government's action plans.