The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) at the Centre has proved its point on July 22nd by winning the vote of confidence. It has shown that it has the capacity to stand by its convictions even by staking its survival on just a single issue that it regards is in the long-term best interests of the nation. There is no doubt that from now onwards the people will think twice before calling Dr Singh an extraordinary combination of ineptitude, arrogance, immaturity and lack of conviction. On the other hand, it is doubtful whether the Left outfits will be able to recover from this shock soon. There are greater chances that their base will be further shrunk in their strongholds of Bengal and Kerala.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has lost its way in a maze of its own making. It would have only been to glad to see its traditional Leftist rivals being cut down to size by their own allies. To the contrary it has invited discomfiture by not only being seen in their company but also by opposing an international treaty it would have possibly supported if it was in power. From their speeches including that of their main star L.K. Advani it was apparent that the BJP and its partners in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) were anticipating the fall of the UPA Government and early Lok Sabha polls as a result. They lost their passage in electoral rhetoric. The Parliamentary polls in any case are only a few months away.

The role of Sonia Gandhi in ensuring the success of her party can’t be ignored. She had met each party as well as supporting MP to impress upon the necessity of their support to the civilian nuclear issue. There-is no doubt that the arrangement opens new avenues for India in the sphere of nuclear cooperation. It will gain us ace to equipment and uranium from the purpose of meeting our energy needs. One should express dismay over certain grave incidents that have not shown our democracy in a good light. Why was the office of the Speaker dragged into an acrimonious controversy right in the beginning? Its present occupant, Mr. Somnath Chatterjee, is one of the most distinguished Parliamentarians of the country. It is strange that his own party sought to belittle him.

There have then been serious allegations of horse-trading both inside and outside the Lok Sabha. There was a spectacle of the name of an airport being changed overnight. The manner in which it was done left little doubt that it was meant to win the support of one of the minor parties. The political grapevine hummed all the time with the talk of ministerial positions being doled out to muster the backing of one member or the other. There were displays of hot tempers and adjournments. For the first time a stunned nation watched the spectacle of an MP displaying in the House bundles of currency allegedly given to him as bribe to buy his vote. At least two more MPs have echoed the same view. This happening is the most unfortunate and a very sad day in the history of Parliament. We should draw proper lessons from them to achieve perfection in our democratic system.