Political Diary

New Delhi, 15 June 2013

BJP-JD(U) Tu-tu-mein-mein

ARE COALITIONS GOOD FOR INDIA?

By Poonam I Kaushish

A week is a long time in politics. And it has been a tumultuous one with the on-going shenanigans of the tug-of-war between the BJP and its 17-years ally JD(U). At the crux is the partner’s allergy for the Saffron Sangh’s new poster boy, Modi and his Prime Ministerial ambitions. Underscoring Benito Mussolini’s sarcastic comment, “Democracy is a kingless regime infested by many kings!”

The issue is not whether Nitish Kumar- Sharad Yadav calls it quits or stay in the NDA, nor about using Modi has an excuse to switch loyalties and neither is it about who tried to jump the gun by putting the cart before the horse. Either which way the self-made NDA crises pans out, it accentuates the inherent instability in our present-day coalition milieu with Made in India regional satraps calling the shots. All playing high roller ball stakes to sit on India’s Raj Gaddi 2014.

Already, the Trinimool’s Mamata is trying to rally a group of non-Congress, non-BJP Chief Ministers of Bihar, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and TDP’s Chandrababu Naidu in Andhra. The Samajwadi’s Mulayam has re-opened back-room talks with the Left Parties to add more ‘regional’ heft to the nascent ‘Federal Front’

Raising a moot point: Can coalition formations and its compulsions become the raison d atre of providing stable political formations? Is it not time we rethink our model of democratic governance? Whether coalition politics is really the answer as India readies itself to don a super power status in the new uni-polar global fraternity?  Or should one change to a two-Party system? 

Undoubtedly the Congress and BJP have only themselves to blame for not realizing that post Mandalisation a new set of rules had come in play whereby from the periphery of competitive politics the regional blocks of 40- odd regional, small or minor parties decisively proved that they were no longer willing to play the second fiddle to any national Party instead have become the lifeline for them. 

Thus, the national Parties loss of power provided the perfect handle for the regional satraps to blackmail, bully and extort their demands from them especially the ruling Party at the Centre. But, at the same time, they could pull the rug over any flimsy issue, to expose the feet of clay of these Parties, made easier by the total collapse of the political moral fabric revealing the naked lust for power

Times out of number it has been exposed that when national Parties cohabit with strange regional outfits for all the wrong reasons to attain power, they fail to realize that it could end in an anti-climax. Unfortunately, both the national Parties have been caught in the web of their own making by pandering to these regional vote banks.

Thereby creating a Frankenstein over which they have no control. Knowing full well that the national parties’ rule was dependent on their support, the regional blocks adopted an uncompromising and inflexible attitude not only towards the Parties, but also cared a tuppence for national stability and can singly or jointly hold a coalition and its Government hostage.

Alas, our regional Parties are still dominated by the mohalla mentality. Where reasoning does not percolate beyond what is good for the Party, its immediate sheer of influence typified by the mohalla at the worst and the State at the best.

Worse, personal interests have replaced national interest whereby India remains stagnant while politicians fill their pockets swiftly. Add to this, the caste mafias camouflaged as regional groups viewed elections and democracy as a way of gaining control of the State, thereby blurring the distinction between “civil and political society”. Every one is propounding its own recipe of governance doling out the en bloc favourite recipe: Communal harmony and caste bhaichara. Never mind if the country gets sucked into the vortex of centrifugal bickering. 

True, one can say this is what democracy is all about.  But in this political cauldron of uncertainty, the importance Election 2014 is giving to regional leaders is not without the grave ramifications it will have on the unitary-federal structure of the State.  As long as the demands of a regional ally are only confined to the development of concerned region, it is fine. But catapulted to the national level, Parties which lack national perception is not a welcome development.

Thus with politics degenerating into patron-client ties along the caste lines boasting of casteist, communal, populist agenda, the need of the hour is a paradigm shift in how Parties and politicians function. Our leaders need to revisit the issue of coalition dharma and seriously think whether it is in India’s interest to go down that road.

What next? The Congress needs to introspect on playing its ‘populist developmental upliftment card peppered with a dash of minority quota politics. It needs to realize the world of 2014 is different. And young India doesn't identify with what worked even a decade ago. To reclaim lost ground it will have to put governance back on track. Let Manmohan Singh become a visible Prime Minister while Rahul focuses on re-building the Party.

For the BJP it is yet another wake-up call. Though much of its core Hindutva base remains intact, it has little to offer to new voters. Lack of credible leaders could increase the disenchantment. 

Till such time as both Parties don’t get their acts together, the Centre will remain an ungainly coalition, increasingly composed of regional and smaller parties who are more wedded to mohalla perspectives instead of reflecting national policy. The best course is to move boldly to do the right things by trusting the people and ignoring ill-informed political opposition from within and without. 

Where do we go from here? True, numbers will decide who sits on the Delhi’s gaddi. At the same time, our national and 28 regional netagan need to realize that symbolism cannot take the place of responsive clean, efficient and modern governance. It is in everybody’s self-interest to adopt a more unified outlook, less fragmented approach.

Clearly, coalitions are neither guarantee for stability nor solution for responsibility.  It is time we give serious thought to reverting back to a two-party system at the national level.  At best, the regional outfits should be confined to ruling their respective States.  Fragmentation of the polity is the root of all ills. Today the Congress, which heads the UPA Government, polled no more than 30 percent of the votes cast. 

The writing is on the wall. This tu-tu-mein-mein has to end. Remember an old Chinese saying: When small men cast big shadows the Sun is about to set.  One is not worried about the small men. But the Sun setting on India is too frightening a prospect to be taken casually. ---INFA.

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)