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Journalism of Courage
Given the stakes in Maharashtra, Sonia Gandhi and Sharad Pawar would have been expected to give visible proof of the working peace they brokered before the Lok Sabha elections. At a joint rally in Nashik on Tuesday, their constant reference to the Congress Parivar thus comes as no surprise. However, one point of commonality in their campaign does raise eyebrows. Both Gandhi and Pawar referred to the benefits that could come Maharashtra8217;s way if it continues to have a government in sync with the ruling coalition in New Delhi. That is, if the NCP-Congress alliance is returned to power. It was a theme Prime Minister Manmohan Singh echoed a day later by seeking a government in Maharashtra which is 8220;on the same wavelength with Delhi8221;.
Incumbency has proved to be such an insurmountable obstacle at election time, that one appreciates the constraints that must have driven these senior politicians to such a campaign. But in asking the voter to consider the advantages of dwelling on the terms of engagement between the political dispensations in New Delhi and Mumbai, they offer a false choice. Inadvertently, they also frame a striking predicament in the country8217;s transition to more meaningful federalism. Over the past decades the rise of regional parties has changed the politics and political economy of the country. Much good has accrued in the process. These parties are now an integral part of the two-coalition system at the Centre, thereby giving the states a participatory role at the national level. It has also, however, alerted state-level parties to the need to cultivate the ruling dispensation at the Centre. The reasons differ. AP under the TDP, for instance, reaped immense economic benefits during the NDA years. The National Conference, in contrast, offered support to successive coalitions in New Delhi to maintain some leverage in decision making on security affairs in J038;K. The DMK and AIADMK keep switching between Congress and BJP led alliances in a bid to curb each other8217;s leverage. At best, this can be termed synergy. In reality, it can resemble blackmail.
Coalitions are here to stay. To maximise the repercussions for meaningful federalism, therefore, the processes related to allocation of funds and cooperation with the Centre must be depoliticised.
