India is often termed as ‘incredible India’. This incredibility is attributed to several factors such as the diversity of the landscape, religion, language, people and rituals.But there is another factor which adds considerably to the incredibility of India, politics. Let us give this dimension its rightful due in adding to India’s incredibility. If we look at the past year, my contention in regards to politics and politicians can be justified. Politics has its own story in all the countries but sometimes I feel that ours defy all the imagination.
Let us look at what has been happening at the Centre. We have a coalition government with the Left parties supporting it from outside. The honeymoon for the Left and Congress is long over and we are left wondering whether they are heading towards a tragic divorce.
One often wonders whether the Left really supports the Government or has it succeeded Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) playing the role of opposition in the Parliament. The bone of contention or rather we must say bones of contention between the partners in this uneasy marriage have been several. But the issue that dominated the centre stage last year was the Civil Nuclear Deal with United States. This deal is still placed at a precarious position. The Left contends that this deal would undermine India’s autonomy for future nuclear developments. The saga of an irate Left front threatening to withdraw its support to the government and pacifying statements by a visibly abashed Prime Minister does not require elaboration.
If you thought the tale has just this much, there is a twist to it. Congress wants the deal to go through while the Left does not but the two are also weary of early elections because their broken marriage might benefit the common enemy, BJP. Were you left wondering where our party of patriarchs was till now in the saga? How can they be left behind. The leader of opposition Mr. L.K. Advani could be well seen crying himself hoarse in the Parliament that the nuke deal was against Indian interests.
He got all the coverage that was due to him in this saga, both in television channels and newspapers alothough Mr. Prakash Karat, the General Secretary of Communist Party of India Marxist (CPI (M)) gave him a tough competition. Hopefully all of you enjoyed this show of nationalism by our dedicated leaders, those who are for the Government and those who don the position of opposition in the Indian Parliament.
If the Centre did put up a good show, the states do not merit any lesser compliments. I think the most fascinating of all the tales was the one that unfolded in Karnataka. It could give all the extended family melodramas from the K-series a run for their money The stage was set here for BJP to take over the reign from Janata Dal Secular (JDS) according to the power sharing pact between the two. But the whisperings of all is not well started and soon they grew loud enough for everyone to hear. JDS no longer wanted to share power, it wanted everything for itself. Suddenly BJP, the party that had been embraced by JDS discarding the Congress became a villain. Mr. H. D. Kumaraswamy, the Chief Minister of Karnataka at the time decided that BJP is inept to handle the responsibilities of leadership. Finally BJP resigned from the Government reducing Mr. Kumaraswamy’s Government to a minority in the state Legislature.
