What enables the United Progressive Alliance to limp along in its usual way, despite its minority status and dwindling popularity ("Mulayam rules out early elections", March 30)? The non-Congress secular parties, which leave the ruling alliance for one reason or other, don't find themselves in a position to join hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to bring down the government for fear of inviting the accusation that they have joined forces with a communal party. The ill-preparedness and lack of confidence of some parties to face the electorate, too, go in favour of the government. The tussle for leadership and the internecine feuds in the highest echelons of some of the national and regional parties foreclose the option of mustering enough strength in unison to topple the government. The variance in issues on which both supporting and opposing parties take different lines renders it impossible for them to take a common stand to upset the apple cart.
Apart from its reliance on the Central Bureau of Investigation to do its bidding and play its part in the survival game, the Congress adeptly uses the finance ministry to be generous with funds and cajole the parties in power in states to continue outside support, or promise to lend their support in the event of any serious threat to its survival. The "PC effect" is writ large on the Samajwadi Party's latest decision to back the Centre for all their mutual mud-slinging. A special package for Bihar is in the offing to woo Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) to the fold in the face of the BJP's insistence on Narendra Modi's candidacy for the post of prime minister. The government also resorts to paying lip service to issues affecting the common people. It is more or less certain that the Manmohan Singh government will limp along till the end of its tenure - unless something dramatic necessitates early polls.
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Apart from its reliance on the Central Bureau of Investigation to do its bidding and play its part in the survival game, the Congress adeptly uses the finance ministry to be generous with funds and cajole the parties in power in states to continue outside support, or promise to lend their support in the event of any serious threat to its survival. The "PC effect" is writ large on the Samajwadi Party's latest decision to back the Centre for all their mutual mud-slinging. A special package for Bihar is in the offing to woo Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) to the fold in the face of the BJP's insistence on Narendra Modi's candidacy for the post of prime minister. The government also resorts to paying lip service to issues affecting the common people. It is more or less certain that the Manmohan Singh government will limp along till the end of its tenure - unless something dramatic necessitates early polls.
G David Milton, Maruthancode
Letters can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:
The Editor, Business Standard
Nehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg
New Delhi 110 002
Fax: (011) 23720201 · E-mail: letters@bsmail.in
All letters must have a postal address and telephone number