Indian politics has developed into a game of musical chairs
with the ushering in of coalition govts in the place of one party rule.
Coalition politics and coalition govts are here to stay with the Grand Old
Party of India – Indian National Congress’s gradually declining since two
decades plus. One party rule is a thing of the past and we are living in the
present. As former Prime Minister P.V.Narasimha Rao often declared during his
tenure at various forums both in India and abroad ‘neo-liberal economic reforms
are irreversible’ from which there is no escape. The coalition politics and
coalition govts too are irreversible as also inevitable in future. Indian National
Congress losing its hold on power was its own making. From the very day that party
began throwing to winds its principles of good governance and value-based politics,
discontent and disillusionment spread among the majority like an infectious
disease creating innumerable patients and a number of them losing their lives,
its decline began which led to the formation of many parties most of them
regional ones and the broad national outlook evolved or shrunk into narrow
outlook. Regional chauvinism was the result and each regional party gradually started
to taste the fruits of power at the Centre as well as the States. They began to
itch for an entry into national mainstream, learnt the art of bargaining with
the single largest party which staked claim to power. Like the single largest
party cajoling the regional parties to cobble up a majority, the regional
parties too wanted the single largest party in other words they needed each
other. As an aftermath, horse trading – a new term began playing an important role
- and money started playing a bigger role. The dirty art of purchasing MPs and
MLAs promising them plum posts at the national level or State level gained
prominence. Thus Indian political scene plunged into a quagmire which too turned
irreversible as also inevitable. Now that a generation, most of them constituting
educated middle-class hailing mainly from urban areas have slowly started to fight
against large-scale corruption which began spreading its tentacles across
India. The stench of corruption is spreading thick and fast which is
nauseating, unbearable and revolting. However, regrettably the movement against
corruption has not reached anywhere due to the wrangling persisting amongst the
leaders of the movement against corruption. Nothing more is needed for the
middle-class getting disenchanted with the movement and that is what we witness
today.
Now that UPA II govt is poised to enter its fourth year in
office they need not consult astrologers about its prospects in the coming
days.
2014 is the election year and therefore we can naturally
expect more and more pressure tactics, arm-twisting and even desertions from
its ranks. In other words the UPA govt is sitting on a powder keg as it is a
coalition govt. Not only that, the economic growth is plummeting, policy
paralysis already visible, inflation rate is still at a high, prices of essential
commodities are sky-rocketing and as already indicated, corruption in various
walks of life at its worst, discontent among the masses is growing, the govt is
naturally in a Catch-22 position. Though UPA II govt is a conglomeration of
various parties by various leaders all are beneficiaries of tax-payers’ money.
With the tenure of the govt slowly heading into its end, arm-twisting, pressure
tactics and desertions can very well be expected. Regional parties always stand
for their respective States and they are likely to demand more and more -
listing out various needs of their States with an indirect threat of them leaving
coalition govt otherwise, as part of exerting pressure tactics and arm
twisting.
Furthermore regional parties do not posses high principles
as their only aim and principle are demanding more allocation of funds for
their States. If that could be called principles, let’s take it for granted. Most
of them are fence-sitters and depending upon in which direction the wind is
blowing they lean towards the ones who promise them more. Like one Mamata
Banerji throwing tantrums frequently and demanding huge package for Bengal, her
State, other partners in the coalition are likely to be more and more demanding.
Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar, a shrewd, cunning
and experienced politician has already started murmuring. That his party is not
respected at the Centre and that govt takes policy decisions without consulting
him or his party and wrote a letter to UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, hence his
party is going to quit the govt and providing support from outside, is nothing
but part of pressure tactics. Look at his timing. He is in need of a respectable,
more respectable position in the UPA II alliance. It is nothing but
blackmailing. More and more allies are likely to demand more and more benefits
in the coming days.
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