Nation heading for two sets of coalitions, says Naidu

Virtually ruling out any space for a third front, Naidu said polarisation of political forces would be complete with regional and smaller parties falling in place in either of the two sets of coalition as pre-poll coalitions were order of the day.

The emergence of two sets of coalitions had become certain with the two major players, BJP and Congress, having their respective representation in some parts of the country while regional and smaller parties holding sway in wider part of the country, Naidu said.

Emphasising that coalitions were a reality and the future, Naidu said, the present National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was a testimony which had shown that consensus could be possible in a coalition even with partners having divergent views and ideologies.

Serving a warning on forces betraying the spirit of coalition, Naidu said “All those who tried to pull down any coalition government paid a heavy price and were taught bitter lessons at the hustings”.

On stability, Naidu said consensus leads to stability and differed with the opinion that coalitions would lead to instability and drop in economic growth rate.

The GDP rate has gone upto 5.75 per cent during the 1990s which had seen more and more of coalitions while it was only 3.8 per cent between 1951-82 when there was one-party rule, Naidu contended adding that it was the performance and not the type of government at the helm that matters.

“As long as the government performs with a vision and commitment it does not lose its mass support which in turn reflects the economic prosperity”, he said.

Naidu, however, evaded a direct reply when Jammu and Kashmir Speaker Abdul Ahad Vakil asked him to spell out his opinion on the performance of the Centre as “TDP was providing the NDA with the much needed oxygen”.

“I don’t think this is a forum to discuss these matters,” was all that Naidu said.

Punjab speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal, in his address, stressed the need for all coalition partners to join the government for more accountability.

Earlier welcoming the gathering, Lok Sabha Speaker G M C Balayogi said “politial instability cannot by itself be the result of an unstable governement as there is no clear visible link between the existence of political instability and a coalition government.”

As long as there was broad consensus and political accommodation, there could be very little scope for instability and if coalition partners pull the government in different directions, it would reflect on their part of governance and not on the stability of the system, he contended.

Strongly favouring a pre-poll alliance, Balayogi said, the major partner in a coalition has to play a vital role in ensuring that the coalition rules were stricly adhered to.

Since coalition politics had become a reality, political parties and leaders have to pay greater attention to the compulsions of coalition politics if a proper coalition culture had to evolve and get strengthened, he added.