Retributions  

India’s fractured polity represents the greatest challenge to her development. Admittedly, her vast geographical expanse and myriad needs present a peculiar problem. However, as recent experience shows, the surfeit of regional parties with their extremely narrow interests are a hindrance to good governance.

India’s last two governments were coalitions. Both hastily cobbled together, post-election groups.. While the NDA rule was at best a qualified success, ofcourse not without the acrimonious turf wars, the present UPA government is a unmitigated disaster. While there is little doubt that the government will last it’s full term and hence provide a semblance of political stability, where is the governance? In almost every issue of national importance, the government seems to speak in ten different voices with Left perpetually in opposition. No wonder, economic reforms are dead and even on issues of national security, the government seems to be clutching at the straws.

However, we must also recognize that the era of coalitions is here to stay. The two parties with even a semblance of national aspiration, Congress and B.J.P have little chance of capturing political power on their own, atleast in the foreseeable future. Hence, the crucial question is not whether coalitions will run the government but what would be the composition of such coalitions . And here India needs a new political language to be scripted ,a coalition which has never been tried before but is the most natural one: between B.J.P and Congress.

Indubitably, this contention will raise a lot of eyebrows, but first let’s examine what they have in common. . First, their status as national parties with pockets of influence all over the country and hence presumably a larger vision, which is more inclusive and shared. Second, despite momentary deviations, they are perhaps the only two parties which atleast share some commitment to economic reforms. Third, they would not need the support of the any other party, this would make the business of governance a much simpler one. Fourth, even their areas of influence are hardly congruent except perhaps in three-four states. Even there, following the Bengal example, they can fight it out for political supremacy.

Naturally, the fig leaf of secularism would be waved even before any such coalition is attempted. As any observer of Indian political scene knows, secularism in India is not a tool for ideological differentiation but merely used to help the most disparate elements to congregate under a common umbrella. Not much different from the Islam in danger slogan which serves countries like Pakistan and Iran so well. What else explains how parties turn secular as soon as they leave B.J.P’s stable? Even the Congress oscillates between soft Hinduvata and minority appeasement, depending upon which is more politically expedient. Let no one forget, horrible as the Gujarat riots were, Congress has presided over riots far more worse. Most certainly B.J.P needs to stop hankering back to the its discredited Hinduvata ideology. But as the experience of NDA government showed, when faced with the demands of real-politic, it can make that jump in imagination. Sure, Gujarat is a blot on its name, and sooner it gets rid of the likes of Modi, better off it will be. Finally, for political parties, winning power is the raison d’ etre for their existence, ideology merely helps them to carve out a distinct niche for themselves. It is not a divide they cannot cross when the situation so demands.

However, it is extremely important to understand the real roadblock such a grand coalition faces, for it will enhance our understanding of India and her problems. While Nehru is touted as a great democrat, he could best be described as a benign dictator. A reading of the accounts leading up to the 1962 debacle is sufficient to reach this conclusion. Indira Gandhi, blessed with none of her father’s mighty intellect carried this tradition further. Mrs. Gandhi and her clique had little tolerance for dissent and any regional satrap who tried to show even a little independence was shown the door. Since such independence usually stemmed from a degree of popular support, this meant that the party became almost exclusively inhabited by yes-men dependent solely on the personal charisma of Mrs. Gandhi for their electoral victories. Mrs. Gandhi attempts to make the party an extension of her self and her family lineage was spectacularly successful. This crushing of regional leaders and the aspirations they represented explains much of the cause behind the rise of regional parties. Delhi simply did not represent their interests! Sadly in some parts, for example, Kashmir, it had a far more disastrous effect, one which bleeds India to this day. But it would be fallacious to believe that any region was singled out, as a lot of Kashmiris do. It was simply the ruling clique’s standard response to any threat, real or imagined. Unfortunately, this obnoxious notion of absolute leader, existence of a high command has spread to almost all political parties, maybe not to the same extent as Congress but there is palpable lack of inner party democracy.

Thus, while India is a democracy, her political parties are not. Any attempt at grand coalition building would require democratization of Indian political parties. Perhaps, a system of primaries so that leaders are not selected but are actually elected. Only then Indian politics will represent the mass leaders and their constituencies within the framework of mainstream politics. The number of people in the current government who have any kind of political base can be counted on the fingers. This is extremely unfortunate and is another example of the lack of true democracy.

All said and done, only two issues which count are national security and economic growth. Infact, to narrow it down further, it all ultimately boils down to economic development. The caste/regional/religious wars are all symptoms of the disease of poverty. A system of governance which has build an economy of scarcity where each group feels threatened by the rise of other, unable to understand that cake can actually grow larger! Thus, economic development is essential not only for the sake of her people but also if India has to survive as a nation state. India’s twenty party coalitions simply cannot deliver. If India wants to join the league of developed countries in the next twenty years, a Congress-B.J.P coalition, however improbable it looks, is essential.

p.s Apologies for lack of updates. Exams are currently on and hence time is at a premium. Regular blogging should resume in a couple of weeks.