(Reetika’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?)
Too many cooks spoil the broth. Nowhere does Coalition-party politics find as evident a manifestation as in this proverb. With the defeat of Indira Gandhi in the elections held immediately after the suspension of emergency, began the era of coalition politics.
Ever since the first elections in 1952, the country had been under majority-party governments which might not have fared well on many other grounds, but one parameter that they never failed to match was that of stability.
In 1977, for the first time, a coalition government ascended to power. The Janta party that had risen to power due to the follies of the preceding congress regime was soon eclipsed due to internal dissensions and ideological differences amongst the coalition members. This brings us to the basic flaw of coalition governments: Instability.
In coalitions, the alliance is brittle and prone to the risk of dissolution. The focus here is more on sustaining the alliance than on sustenance of the country. An overt example of this could be the 13-day government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Coalition parties compromise on their ideological loyalties to quench their thirst for power.
The alliance of AAP with Congress in the previous elections and the PDP-BJP alliance forming government in Jammu & Kashmir are two examples highlighting this character of coalitions. With the accommodative nature of coalition party governments comes their inability to take major policy decisions. With a number of parties having their own electoral commitments, it becomes very difficult to take decisive steps.
This was witnessed when CPI(M) withdrew support from UPA-I on the question of a nuclear deal with the US.
In a coalition, the chances of corruption are also many as multiple allies have manifold demands.
It was witnessed during the regime of UPA-II when appeasement of allies proved disastrous not just to the party in power but also to the people of the country.
Thus keeping the above stated observations in consideration, it is in the best interests of our country to NOT have a coalition. By coalition governments, power hungry rulers bound by a weak cord of mutually benefiting selfish gains are installed at the centre, generating political discord, policy paralysis and intra-coalition power struggle.
On the other hand, a single party government is stable, workable and thus suitable for our country. Single-party governments have sometimes tried to turn despotic, but the nature of the Indian state as a democratic republic ensures that the political mandate in successive elections acts as a harness on their activities.
Enough diversity is imparted to the Indian political scene by the electoral system in place. A single-party government helps preserve the unity and integrity of the country. Thus, even though coalition parties are a product of political reality, single-party rule is still ideal for our country. A government ensuring political harmony and sustaining the secular fabric is desirable. Any government that attempts to meddle with these principles shall be ousted in the succeeding elections.
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