Politics is something one will never understand. The BJP’s declaration that the party is not against the nuclear deal but will re-negotiate it when it comes to power is something hard to digest. Likewise, the BJP is not against economic reforms but will push them forward only when it returns to power. Now that’s what you call double standards. The BJP knows that under the present circumstances, the UPA has to depend on the NDA for passing any legislation in Parliament. Otherwise, the Congress will have to resort to the same tricks, which it did to win the vote of confidence on July 22. Sushma Swaraj commented that let the government check its majority in every bill they introduce. Certainly, Manmohan Singh has not anticipated the BJP bombshell. He was sure that the BJP would not stall bills like the pension reform, labor reform or insurance reforms, which were conceived by the Vajpayee Government. As for the other constituents of the NDA, most of them are not against the reform process. The Prime Minister should now realize that there are still many hurdles to overcome, and the going in Parliament will be tough with the right and left parties coming together.
Crucial legislations in insurance and banking sectors and bills for the setting up of a pension regulatory body and one for the unorganized sector have been pending for long following opposition from the Left parties. The three reform legislations are money bills, which require simple majority for their passage. However, with the NDA deciding to play the spoiler, Government is now stumped. Since the Left, the BSP and the UNPA partners are likely to match the NDA’s opposition, the government cannot risk the money bills without preparation. Why don’t political parties, more so the national parties put national interest above party interests? Should the national parties play such political games when it concerns the economy of the country?
The Congress too played the same tricks when it was in the Opposition. No doubt, economics is slowly being delinked from politics in India, but political decisions still matter. Now, it is for all political parties to make sure that their narrow political interests do not halt the growth potential of India. Now, more than ever, it needs to fix its politics and policies so that narrow interests do not derail India’s growth. The BJP’s argument that the UPA majority in the trust vote was manufactured does not mean that it should oppose the reforms. It is not the UPA, which will suffer, but it is the country’s progress, which will become stunted. While political parties do have their own economic policies, with wider convergence on many issues, they should arrive at a broad understanding on economic as well as foreign policies.
Both Congress and the BJP are committed to economic reforms and continuance of liberalization measures. While there are different shades of opinion in both the parties on some economic issues, largely the leadership dominates the party. The BJP and the Congress also want closer ties with the United States and a bigger role for India in the world. With the country moving towards a two-front politics, the two major parties should play their part in a positive manner. The government, too, should try to mollify the miffed opposition through consultations and discussions on the reform process.