Split mandate sign of maturity: CPM

Although the editorial concedes that the PM had said it in the context of an “unfinished agenda” of economic reforms, the CPI(M) found it “necessary” to make some “observation” about coalition governments.

According to the editorial, the immense social plurality in India will, obviously, reflect itself in its polity. It is only natural that under these conditions various parties may garner the confidence of sections of this vast social diversity and thus no single party may acquire the requisite majority to form its own Government.

Secondly, such fractured mandates carry with them an important element of “checks and balances” required for the sound functioning of any democracy. For this reason, coalition governments often have a common minimum programme of policies to be implemented while in office.

“If any impediments are being brought before the Government in the implementation of the CMP then of course the PM’s remarks are justified. However, if objections are raised on certain policy directions which are not contained in the CMP or are departures from the CMP then such objections serve the important purpose of checking the Government’s drift from the CMP,” the party says.

“The Left’s objections to the Indo-US nuclear deal are of this nature. India’s desire for such a deal was not mentioned in the Congress election manifesto. Neither was it mentioned in any manifesto of its allies nor does the CMP have any reference to it,” the editorial says.

On the latest statement by US Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns that “India has to move fast”, the editorial says “the setting of such deadlines is in itself an insult to Indian democracy”.

“The democratic processes of any country cannot be influenced by external pressures and by the needs of another country,” the CPI(M) says, adding that it is the understanding of the Left-UPA Committee on the nuclear deal that the Government will proceed by respecting the majority opinion expressed in Parliament.