The self-defeating secular politics

No one wanted a mid-term poll -- political parties, their leaders and, above all, the people. The President was also keen to avoid it. Bu...

No one wanted a mid-term poll 8212; political parties, their leaders and, above all, the people. The President was also keen to avoid it. But, their concerted efforts only helped to achieve the opposite result. This led a constitutional expert to observe that though the Westminster system was most suitable to India, there were no parties or leaders to run such a system in the country. The role of the secular parties, in particular, merits critical attempts.

These parties came together with the objective of pulling down a communal government despite the fact that some of them were responsible for installing it. But it was not their secular commitment that installed the last government or pulled it down. It was narrow regional considerations, which included their caste and community interests. Their attitude after the fall of the Vajpayee government was a blow to secularism and democracy.

It was a great mistake to treat them as secular parties. At the national level, they may appear secular but, in theirregions, they are caste- or community-based. The sad fact is that the genuine secular parties could not see their real colour as they were blinded by their eagerness to pull down a government and install one of their own. In a way, the fact that they could not come together should be welcomed as otherwise it would have been a blow to genuine secular parties and, in the long run, to democracy itself.

The communal forces cannot be fought by opportunistic alliances. Doing so will only help their growth. For example, in Kerala, in order to fight the CPIM, the Congress had aligned with the Muslim League first and later the CPIM followed the example. There were also attempts in Kerala to make the BJP secular when the Congress and the BJP together indirectly supported an independent candidate in one case and the Congress did not put up a candidate against the BJP in another case in an earlier election.

Again, in Kerala, the United Front was formed to fight the Marxist-led Left Democratic Front. The idea ofthe CPIM and the Congress in any form of alliance at the Centre cannot even be dreamt of by the Kerala units of these parties. When it comes to national politics, realities in the states are conveniently forgotten. It was the CPIM which went around knocking at the doors of caste-oriented regional parties describing them as secular.

The Uttar Pradesh politics alone was the criterion for some parties on whom the coming together of anti-BJP forces finally depended. The UP leaders always played such politics. Equating UP politics with national politics never helps to solve any of the national problems.

When the AIADMK withdrew support to the BJP government, the secular parties forgot Jayalalitha8217;s political past. There were reports that she agreed to come closer to the Congress and Sonia Gandhi not to install them in power but to install herself. By her statement that regional parties lost a chance at the Centre, she perhaps meant herself. It is said that she had got this impression when the operationtopple8217; began with the tea party8217;. Why the left and secular parties became a part of this conspiracy is a mystery.

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Sonia Gandhi was credited for her cool and patience, for not being carried away till the tea party. Considered till then a leader 8220;not in a hurry8221;, she succumbed to pressures and false assurances. She was assured that, if she took over the leadership, all other secular parties would extend support. The way the CPIM general secretary went about and the reactions to his moves in the media in general made her believe this and jump into the fray. She was also told that the support thus extended would be unconditional. But when she announced her willingness and came forward, conditions were laid down by many of these parties.

The CPIM and other left parties should not have run after such parties and leaders. By doing so, they only strengthened the forces of opportunism, corruption and regionalism. Surjeet worked day and night and his intentions were not questioned, but should he have goneto this extent? Similarly, Sonia Gandhi was made to knock at the doors of other party leaders. All this has only affected the prestige of the CPIM and its general secretary and the Congress and its president.