HVK Archives: Confidence vindicated - editorial
Confidence vindicated - editorial - The Times of India
Editorial
()
13 June 1996
Title : Confidence Vindicated
Author : Editorial
Publication : The Times of India
Date : June 13, 1996
There was never any doubt about the United Front
government
winning the confidence of the Lok Sabha, just as there was
none
about the Bharatiya Janata Party ministry losing it. Indeed, the
UF carried the House with it for the very reason that the BJP
could not - it was seen by the majority of M.P.s as better
reflecting the plurality of India and better able to uphold
federalism. The BJP had a head start over its rivals both in
terms of numbers and in being the first to take office. Between
them, the BJP and its three allies had 196 M.P.s, to
approximate
which figure the UF had to pool the membership of as many as
13
parties. On paper the BJP was an irresistible proposition,
especially for the regional block. Its apparent cohesion promised
greater stability and it was already in power. The UF, on the
other hand, was far from being viable. It was an amorphous
mass
and, therefore, its members were more susceptible to
external
pressures. Furthermore, it depended on the Congress for
survival,
which was not a happy prospect for those of its constituents
who
faced that party in their home states. For instance, the rivalry
between the TDP and the Congress in Andhra Pradesh should
have
made the BJP the former's natural ally. So, too, for the AGP in
Assam and the DMK-TMC combine in Tamil Nadu.
And yet, the regional parties defied the odds and resisted
overtures, evidently so as to be able to form a government
where
they would be full partners rather than adjuncts and which would
mirror rather than subsume their aspirations. Fortunately, the UF
has shown itself to be capable of both flexibility and pragmatism
in the ten days that it has been in office. The minimum
common
programme is a happy confluence of the left, the right and the
centre, and, indeed, includes some of the best features of all
three positions. As Prime Minister, Mr H D Deve Gowda
has
consciously avoided rhetoric; whether in reacting constructively
to Ms Benazir Bhutto's felicitations or in going out of the way
to pay his respects to political opponents, consensus, and not
confrontation, seems to be his style. But then, equally, Mr
Gowda
is up against a whole host of problems, not the least of which
are the many skeletons in the Congress cupboard. Though he
has
committed himself to letting the law take its course, it may not
be easy to translate that into action. The Prime Minister has
also to guard against the overzealousness of some among his
own
party - Mr Laloo Yadav isn't exactly helping by naming his
nominees for the next round of cabinet expansion. The
simmering
tension between the Congress and the regional parties is
another
problematic area. But a historic opportunity has come Mr
Gowda's
way to strengthen the foundations of India and nurture it as a
truly federal, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural state. For that,
above all else, he has to make a go of it.
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