With the dissolution of the 11th Lok Sabha, the nation has been freed from the odium of political horsetrading if the Congress or the BJP had been allowed to form an alternative government. It was apparent that a government from within the just-dissolved House was not possible given the bad blood that existed among the cantankerous parties.Thus Thursday's presidential proclamation was the logical culmination of the three-week-old political crisis that brought governance to a standstill. President K.R. Narayanan has conducted himself admirably by sticking to the rule book.Though the manner in which some of the members, particularly first-timers, conducted themselves was hardly inspiring, it must be said to their credit that they did not fall for temptations. Nonetheless, they have only themselves to blame for inflicting an early election on the people who had gone to the polling booths less than 19 months ago.If any single inference can be drawn from this short-lived House, it is that our political parties have yet to come to terms with a situation where no party enjoys majority support. The parties have demonstrated their utter inability to join hands for a common cause. The dissolved House has also showed how political parties can never be trusted to give outside support to a government except to satisfy their narrow selfish interests.Above all, the House brought to the fore the hollowness of the political commitment of various parties. Despite the unity of purpose that the various constituents of the United Front and the Congress had in keeping the BJP at bay, they could not hide their own inner contradictions.Similarly, the BJP, which could have stuck to the high moral ground and won greater public sympathy, forfeited its claim to such lofty ideals by shamelessly pleading for defection. Thus at the end of the day, none of the parties in the political drama that unfolded on the national stage has covered itself with glory.Even so, the United Front's resistance to the Congress manipulations that ultimately brought down the Gujral Government will stand it in good stead when it faces the next elections. Much of the problems of the 11th Lok Sabha stemmed from the fact that the parties had contested the 1996 elections against one another, and whatever tie-ups were entered into were post-election ones. These alliances of convenience were naturally more unstable than those of programme would have been.These lessons, if they are learned, should help the political parties in facing the electorate early next year. However, there is no certainty that the next elections will give any one party a clear majority.If the political trends are anything to go by, a hung Parliament is unavoidable in the present circumstances. Such a situation can be met effectively only through value-based coalitions. A coalition formed before the elections as in West Bengal and Kerala will not only carry greater weight, it will also be enduring. The parties will do the nation a great service if they are able to let bygones be bygones and provide the electorate with a clear choice in the next elections.This is the minimum that is expected of them.
