Kalam wants an evolution to stable 2-party system8230;

In what was probably his last formal address to MPs before his term runs out, President A P J Abdul Kalam today reinforced his reputation as an unconventional head of state when he sowed the seed for a political debate on India8217;s multi-party system by calling for a 8220;a stable two-party system8221;.

Evidently referring to the establishment of coalition governments which have become the norm, Kalam said, 8220;Many challenges need to be responded to 8212; the emergence of multi-party coalitions as a regular form of government, that need to rapidly evolve as a stable, two-party system.8221;

The remarks, made in the closing minutes of his address during a function to commemorate the 1857 war of independence, were perhaps intended to capture the essence of emerging political developments: that coalition governments at the Centre come either from the BJP-led NDA or the Congress-led UPA, and are stable.