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POLITICAL DIARY
Shameless Lust For Power
BEGINNING OF END GAME, POLL 2009
By Poonam I Kaushish
New Delhi, July 15, 2008
The theatre of the absurd, or a tragedy of errors? How
should one describe the unparalleled happenings on the
political firmament in Delhi last week? Wherein, tragically
the facade of our democratic norms and functioning has got
further torn. A sense of de ja vu overwhelms. Once again,
governance, was reduced to a game of gulli-danda, smacking of
petty one-upmanship, clash of bruised egos, blackmail et al.
Country be damned!
Today, with the reigning diva Left withdrawing support to the
Congress-led UPA Government over the Indo-US nuclear deal
everything is up in the air. Notwithstanding,
old-enemy-turned-new-friend Samajwadi Party stepping in to
save the Congress and its Government. And the BJP-led
Opposition trying it’s damnest to pull it down.
The basic issue is not the Indo-US nuclear deal or whether the
UPA Government stays or goes. Or, who is to blame and why.
Should the Left bear the cross? Did Congress not play by the
rules of coalition dharma? Has Mulayam Singh landed himself
from the frying pan into the fire? What of the Opposition?
Let’s not waste time to justify or condemn any one of the
actors in this all-round nautanki of musical chairs. We know
them all.
The stakes being high, every party has shed all pretence to
principles, values and morality. What is on display is a naked
and ruthless lust for power from which no single party has
emerged unscathed. All that preceded the switch--unabashed
opportunism and horse trading--will be remembered as the
lowest denominator in the polity of free India. Of a deepening
malaise of today’s political class, capriciously exposing
their hollowness and hypocrisy of political commitment and
subordinating national interest to personal egos and
aggrandizement.
Think. The UPA and the Opposition are both talking about
getting the better of the other in the vote of confidence next
week. But, none are thinking about stability, good governance
and national interest. The UPA is trying really hard to avoid
elections, where angry masses are almost certain to slit their
throats. Thus, further undermining the people’s eroding faith
in democracy as a desirable system.
Everybody wants power but all distrust each other. The
Congress, for its part, is using every trick in the book to
hang on to power. It has willy-nilly agreed to pay the price
of the Samajwadi’s support: For the first time in India’s
corporate and political history, the Prime Minister is likely
to intervene in the feud between the Ambani brothers. (Anil
backed by Mulayam and Amar Singh and Mukesh who supports the
Congress); Ten ministerial posts, (one for the Gandhi family’s
bete noir, Jaya Bachchan?); All cases against its leaders be
dropped.
Both want this “friendship” to hold till the elections, when
they can jointly prevent the BSP’s “blue elephant” from
trampling them. In fact, the accelerated action by the CBI
against Mayawati in the disproportionate asset case is the
first step towards that end. It is no secret that whichever
party gets a maximum of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP will play
an important role in who is the next Prime Minister. According
to experts Mayawati is set to gain about 40 to 50 seats in the
State, which will give her the bargaining strength to play
perhaps the most important role in government formation at the
Centre in 2009.
For the Congress, however, there is a downside to this power
play. Even if it survives it will at best be a lame duck
Government with all allies demanding their pound of flesh.
Besides, it is a moot point if its ties with the Samajwadi
actually translate in to Muslim votes. Thus, everything boils
down to a gut feeling of ifs and buts. One has to wait and
watch in the days to come as events unfold and parties change
their stand. Who will blink first is uppermost in everybody’s
mind.
The opposition, led by BJP is leaving no stone unturned to
make the government fall. It is too buying its support as it
is keen that General elections be held alongside the six State
Assembly polls in November. Where the BJP it is confident of
returning to power not only in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,
Delhi and Rajasthan but is confident of getting a majority in
the Lok Sabha, thanks to spiraling prices, rising inflation,
terrorism, Amarnath Shrine land controversy. It has already
released its first list of candidates.
One may be tempted to dismiss the happenings as being no more
than an awful aberration. Nonetheless, the heart of the matter
is that the whole episode mirrors the initial moves and
counter-moves by all the parties for the next general election
to the Lok Sabha in May. The beginning of the end game 2009.
True, it was only a matter of time before the Left withdrew
support. Specially as the Congress-Left relationship was a
no-brainer and was doomed from day one. A coalition of hot
ice-cream. Inherent contradictions were bound to take over. Be
it ideology, principles, working style et al. The
Congress-Left are arch enemies in three important States, West
Bengal, Tripura and Kerala. Many wondered if at all the Left
would actually call its bluff on the nuclear deal or take on
the Congress over price rise and rising inflation.
Interestingly, even today the Congress which actually needs
the Left in the future has left the door open for further
negotiations. As also have regional parties belonging to the
now defunct UNPA. Within the Left, elders like Jyoti Basu (who
has always been soft on Sonia) has raised the bogey of
communal BJP and warned comrades not to be perceived as voting
with the Saffron Sangh. No matter, if its a face saver
vis-à-vis its electorate.
The main crunch, however, lies in the reality that many within
the Congress feel that the Party has only itself to blame. The
High Command is being accused of having mismanaged the nuclear
issue from day one. The Prime Minister should have given due
importance to the Left’s concerns and taken it fully into
confidence during the various stages of negotiations of the
deal. After all, the deal encompasses India’s foreign,
strategic and nuclear policies.
Thus, in this game of lies, deceit and deception, the UPA
reflects the emerging truth of today’s India. Power is all.
Arguably, one can say this is what democracy is all about.
Sadly, however, the basic postulates of democracy have got
botched over the years. Few care to remember today that
democracy is not an end in itself. It is only a means to an
end, namely, the greater well-being and happiness of the
people. Which is possible only through a clean and stable
government run by dedicated leaders committed to putting
country above self and all else. Not through ram-shackled
coalitions of fair-weather partners in corruption and crime.
What of the future? Will individual egos get the better of
collective wisdom? Does it bode the collapse of the coalition
system of governance? Notwithstanding, the Samajwadi bailing
out the UPA, if arch enemies are willing to align with each
other, then why have elections at all? Ideally, all should
grasp the reality of parliamentary democracy. The people’s
verdict should be honoured before they go in search for the
aphrodisiac called power and talk formation of a new
Government with all and sundry. Sans shared ideology and
mutual objectives.
Disgust, revulsion and cynicism aside, most thinking people
see nothing but trouble, travail and a dark future. Many
others would be happy to publicly whip and even guillotine
their polity, whereunder even the gutter today is cleaner than
the politics of today. How long must India suffer and bleed?
--- INFA
(Copyright India News & Feature Alliance)
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