24 May 2008
One more year ahead of 2009
The first incident befallen for coalition govt. was in 1977 and since then, coalition govt. has been a regular feature of Indian polity. In the 13th Lok Sabha elections held in 1999, the BJP headed NDA allies won power and formed ministry and created first time record of full term service. In the 14th Lok Sabha elections held in 2004, the UPA headed by the Congress party won a lead but with outside support of the Left parties formed the ministry. The coalition has been so harmonious that the alliance partners of the UPA are now looking forward to the 2009 Lok Sabha elections for another opportunity to contest in alliance. A good working relationship between each of the allies and the Congress party has strengthened internal cohesion in the alliance. But the NDA leadership then had to spend a great deal of time fulfilling the wants of its alliance partners to keep the coalitions together. The NDA’s constituents always made a public display of pertulance in the belief that it would be an effective persuader. They got their fulfillment of ambition through the threats of exiting the alliance. The threats worked well because the NDA’s leadership wanted to survive in office and complete the five year term. Fortunately, the UPA’s leadership did not have to deal with such threats. The strong point of the Congress party to lead the coalition partners amicably is not only it’s adroitness but also that each constituent leader held the UPA’s chairperson a high esteem. But the NDA’s leadership suffered extreme hardship by its constituents who were prone to frequent bouts of pertulance. UPA’s chairperson is dealing with the regional allies with same consideration and respect as is extended to the Left parties. Although the Left’s pressures have been quiet galling - for example, its obduracy in the issues such as Indo-US nuclear deal, the Congress party has been beholden, respecting the mutual interest; It is not the UPA govt’s pusillanimity to reel under the Left’s pressure at every turn.
Though the UPA govt has been doing good things, it finds its image today taking a battering such as rising rate of inflation and consequently of prices. Spiralling price of essential commodities has queered the pitch for the govt. The BJP charges that the UPA govt. has failed on all fronts; Once boasted of self-sufficiency, we have been pushed to depend for importing food items; There is no provision in helping and rescuing the farmers from the debt-trap; The steep rise of prices have greatly affected the common man but the UPA govt. is watching helplessly. The Congress party should not find satisfied with highlighting their achievements. It should remember that the NDA then claimed to have created a ‘Shining India’, but the people did not share that assessment, instead, showed them the door. The govt. should take measure to hold the price of food and other essential commodities. The UPA, particularly the Congress party, has no cause as of now to be diffident about facing 2009 polls on the strength of its performance. There is one more year of service to the UPA. They can retrieve their image and improve upon it meaningfully ahead of 2009. Voters have their own criteria and yardstick to judge performance. A party does not get re-elected on the basis of its performance or lack of it. It gets re-elected on the basis of public perception.