How often in history has Indian polity seen a Prime Minister who stands firm, not wilting under the pressure of his coalition partners? In an era where no single party enjoys brute force majority, like the days of Indira Gandhi or Rajiv Gandhi, decisions taken by the Government are bound to be influenced by the coalition partners and other parties supporting it. Perhaps, lesser mortals would have danced to the tunes of the coalition partners and then dismissed the gimmick off as a compulsion of 'coalition politics'. While Dr. Manmohan Singh's decison to go ahead with the Nuclear deal, in spite of widespread criticism, may be debatable, his resolve to stick to his stand is indeed positive and appreciable. With widespread accusations of the Government withholding some sensitive information regarding the deal, discussing the pros and cons of the deal here would only be a futile exercise.
His detractors, who have often ridiculed him for being a 'puppet PM' have been made to eat their words after this episode. The backing he has received from his party is truly commendable and this goes to show the respect (may not necessarily be popularity) he enjoys amongst the men who matter in his party. While most critics prognosticated a premature death for the Nuke deal or the Government, it has taken a lot of guts and mental toughness for the Government to go ahead to the IAEA, especially given the fact that the survival of the Government hinges largely on the support from the Left. Now, it seems that the elections would be held as per the schedule and to bring it to this, from a seemingly hopeless situation must have taken a lot of back office strategics. On the other hand, Prakash Karat, the new and young face of the Left front, would be proud of the fact that he has done all he could in his capacity, to forewarn and try prevent the Government from falling prey to America's designs. As soon as he realized that the Government was not too keen to budge, he rallied the entire Left front behind him and ensured they withdrew support immediately. This is a far cry from the 'empty threats only' image the Left enjoys, at least in some sections of the media. Ironically, he also does not enjoy a 'shrewd politician' image just like Dr. Singh. Interestingly, their predecessors, Harkishen Singh Surjeet and PV Narasimha Rao were known to be astute politicians who 'took' everybody possible along.
The coming weeks would be filled with intense political activity-hectic parleys among similar minded parties and possibly some 'horse trading' as well. The trust vote would be defining moment for both sides, especially with the victory margin certain to be in single digits and this single factor could propel 'trading' to astronomical amounts.
Pushing the 'darker' side of the arithmetic to the background, the victory, irrespective of the winner, would be remembered as the triumph of a man who stood by his principles.
His detractors, who have often ridiculed him for being a 'puppet PM' have been made to eat their words after this episode. The backing he has received from his party is truly commendable and this goes to show the respect (may not necessarily be popularity) he enjoys amongst the men who matter in his party. While most critics prognosticated a premature death for the Nuke deal or the Government, it has taken a lot of guts and mental toughness for the Government to go ahead to the IAEA, especially given the fact that the survival of the Government hinges largely on the support from the Left. Now, it seems that the elections would be held as per the schedule and to bring it to this, from a seemingly hopeless situation must have taken a lot of back office strategics. On the other hand, Prakash Karat, the new and young face of the Left front, would be proud of the fact that he has done all he could in his capacity, to forewarn and try prevent the Government from falling prey to America's designs. As soon as he realized that the Government was not too keen to budge, he rallied the entire Left front behind him and ensured they withdrew support immediately. This is a far cry from the 'empty threats only' image the Left enjoys, at least in some sections of the media. Ironically, he also does not enjoy a 'shrewd politician' image just like Dr. Singh. Interestingly, their predecessors, Harkishen Singh Surjeet and PV Narasimha Rao were known to be astute politicians who 'took' everybody possible along.
The coming weeks would be filled with intense political activity-hectic parleys among similar minded parties and possibly some 'horse trading' as well. The trust vote would be defining moment for both sides, especially with the victory margin certain to be in single digits and this single factor could propel 'trading' to astronomical amounts.
Pushing the 'darker' side of the arithmetic to the background, the victory, irrespective of the winner, would be remembered as the triumph of a man who stood by his principles.
4 comments:
Point 1. Dr Singh wouldn't have had the opportunity to go ahead without the knowledge of the support SP were willing to offer.
Point 2. Why would Dr. Singh not have suck to his stand on the earlier occasion when he threatened to step down?
Point 3. With the inflation rising I am sure the govrnment could do with some distraction.
Point 4. It also seems to reflect that Congress after getting the inflation to a record high, due to factors known and unknown, controllable and uncontrollable, would atleast try and settle for some moral high ground if and when it capitulates.
Point 5. With the rising angst in sections of WB against the left, including losses in local elections in Singur and poor treatment of the Darjeeling crisis, it is only natural that the Left also sees in this an opportunity to display some "credibility".
Interesting you choose to notice the PM's strength of character at a time when fuel subsidies have become an albatross round the govt's neck. A gradual passing on of the fuel burden much earlier would have ensured a demand-supply parity..
@Hariharan
Point 1 That is always there when you are short of a majority.Knowing Mulayam Singh and Amar, it was waiting to happen once Matawati pilled out.
Point 2 There is a breaking point for everyone. May be he reached it a little (too) late.
Point 3 The common man doesn't give a damn as to whether the Nuke deal goes ahead or not. Inflation is still a serious worry and the Government will have to face it.
Point 4 More than the moral high ground, they may just be looking to buy some time since an early elections is certain to spell doom for them
Point 5 The left has never tried to maintain a credible image. Singur is not a pointer, given the local issues. Darjeeling is a serious issue, especially with Budha Babu complicating it!
@Susa
The left's influence over the Govt would have certainly affected the policies to a large extent.
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