(K Chandy Mathew’s essay is among the Top 10 of the My Report Debate. Participants were asked the question: Who do you think should lead India – a single party or a coalition?)
In the world’s largest democracy – where you have one of the largest populations along with the greatest diversity across race, religion, culture, language and unavoidably (for India) caste – you ultimately end up with a genuine governance conundrum.
In the 71-odd years of freedom, the leaders India has chosen have been like chalk and cheese, and sometimes an unimaginable combination of both. It’s not always possible for a single party to represent the ideas of all sections of the demographic, although not impossible as the early era Congress regimes showed. This is where the coalition system comes into play, giving the rather large number of regional outfits their chance to shape national policy.
It is not unheard of for parties of opposite ideologies to pair up in hopes of forming a stable government but their opposing views often lead to infighting and regimes that fail to see out their terms of office, burdening the taxpayer with funding new elections and leaving the nation in a lurch.
While the benefits of having a single-party rule are obvious. It allows the government to take tough decisions and fulfill promises as well as avoid the trappings of dealing with trigger-happy alliance partners.
At first sight this may seem utopian, but I feel that we are better suited to a coalition government with partners from all across the nation joining together, giving us a better representation of everyone’s aspirations, as diverse as they are. This also helps avoid instances of majoritarianism, ala Sri Lanka – which seems to have come in vogue of late – from popping up.
Consider the case of UPA. If parties as ideologically opposite as the Congress and the CPI(M), that otherwise fight raging battles on their turfs like Kerala and Bengal, can work together at the Centre, the policies espoused would be all the more rounded.
India has invariably seen certain communities sidelined after certain parties have come to power and the Mahagathbandhan of regional players as well as national bigwigs would boost inclusivity and reduce the hate that seems to be on the rise. Secularism would become a ground reality, unthreatened by recent events.
Although a mixture of parties across ideological lines may seem volatile and destined to meet an early demise, it can be the solution to a few of our problems. Some parties have great expertise in various ministries, like the TRS in agriculture. Moreover, this will result in a government that brings out the very best in our Constitution – namely, Unity in Diversity – with policies formed through consultation across divides.
It is also more likely to seek reforms in federal structures where past regimes have been accused of favouritism and a totalitarian attitude. A coalition will undoubtedly take time to make decisions, but will take better ones. After all together we stand, divided we fall.
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