HVK Archives: Trust of a nation - editorial
Trust of a nation - editorial - The Indian Express
Editorial
()
13 June 1996
Title : Trust of a nation
Author : Editorial
Publication : The Indian Express
Date : June 13, 1996
The Deve Gowda Government's victory in the vote of confidence
in
the Lok Sabha will be greeted in the country with a measure of
relief. After more than a month of nervous political uncertainty
India now has a legitimate Government at the Centre
India now has a legitimate Government at the Centre which can
get
on with the crucial business of governance. Unfortunately, this
overdue return to normalcy is likely to be offset by a few
disturbing trends which were in evidence during the debate. It is
not the Prime Minister's lack of parliamentary experience which
occasions disquiet. Oratory is not and should not be the
yardstick of political competence. The problem is one of vision.
The Prime Minister attempted to cover up his relative
unfamiliarity with national politics by making a great show of
contrived rusticity which may evoke mixed reactions. Equally,
he
sought to sidestep awkward questions relating to the cohesion
and
priorities of the United Front by emphasising his achievements
as
Chief Minister of Karnataka. This is the problem that Gowda
must
overcome. He is today - unwittingly or otherwise - the Prime
Minister of India, and a Prime Minister must rise above sectional
considerations to embrace the whole country. Regardless of
his
undoubted commitment to federalism, Gowda must project not
merely
a pan-Indian vision but also take into account complex global
realities. These have not been in adequate evidence yet.
The issue of leadership is not an insignificant one. Repeated
experiences with coalition governments have shown that the
problems are rarely centred on profound policy matters. They
are
almost always a result of personality clashes and unfulfilled
ambitions. The UF's limited exposure to Parliament during the
vote of confidence clearly suggested that many of its stalwarts
are uneasy with the business of managing power. The relative
ease
with which Narasimha Rao was able to disarm his critics in
the
party and even get an endorsement for his assertion that anti-
Congressism - an article of faith for Lohiaities, many of whom
are now in the UF - is "built on illogic", suggests that
circumstances could force the Gowda government to rush to
the
Congress for assistance on more occasions than is strictly
warranted. If this leads to a pooling of experience - and not
necessarily always from the 'outside' - both the Government
and
the country will benefit. But if these lead to internal strains
and shrill accusations of "back-seat driving", Gowda may find
himself devoting more time to crisis management than
governance.
Rao may be sincere when he says that the Congress will "not
allow
this Government to fall under any circumstances". But can
his
offer to "agree to work together" neutralise fractious strains
within the constituents of the UF? More important, can it take
care of the pulls and pressures within the Congress? The
problems
could become menacing if inexperience is added to a
possible
unwillingness to rise above the parochial.
The Prime Minister was repeating a conventional wisdom when
he
said that India has entered an era of coalitions. All parties,
including the Congress and BJP, appear to have reconciled
themselves to this new reality. But coalitions are also constant
learning experiences and marked by a spirit of give and take.
After Gowda's feeble performance in the Lok Sabha on
Wednesday,
India will be hoping that he is a fast learner and that give and
take is not distorted into a process of take and take. Otherwise,
generosity will give way to impatience and, finally,
disillusionment. For the moment, India could do without either.
The country needs a breather.
Back
Top
|
