NEW DELHI: More than the Central government, weak Chief Ministers, and unstable coalition governments states have caused huge harm to social and economic development.
Imagine, who would want the head of their family to be weak, ill, and dependent on crutches? Who would pray for physically weak children, sons-in-law, or daughters-in-law in their home? India takes pride in being polio-free, so why shouldn’t there be pride and happiness in having a strong Prime Minister and government in the country? However, these days, beyond politics, some people seem to desire a weak coalition government and are making every possible effort to create such a situation. One reason for this is that after the Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had to seek the support of two regional parties. Some government decisions were placed before parliamentary committees for detailed consideration and amendments rather than being passed and implemented immediately in Parliament. However, this stance has led to claims that the Prime Minister is weak and that the government won’t last five years, creating confusion both domestically and internationally. But now, with a sufficient majority in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, the government can pass important bills. Without making major constitutional amendments, the government can pass and implement revolutionary changes in social, economic, and strategic areas through Parliament.
Analysing the tenures of governments from Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to Narendra Modi, it can be proven that Indira Gandhi and Narendra Modi have made the most courageous decisions. Whether it was the first nuclear test, the nationalization of banks and Coal India, or the creation of Bangladesh after the 1971 war with Pakistan—could such decisions have been possible under a weak leadership? There have always been people who criticized those decisions. Yes, the Emergency was a grave political mistake, but it resulted from the Prime Minister becoming weak.
On the other hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi implemented revolutionary changes with his strong determination and sufficient majority, such as demonetization, the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the anti-triple talaq law, 33% reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies, and the replacement of colonial-era laws with a new judicial code. No Prime Minister after Independence has been able to take such significant steps. Before this, no major decisions were made by weak governments from Indira Gandhi in 1967, Morarji Desai and Charan Singh in 1977-1979, V.P. Singh and Chandra Shekhar in 1989-1991, or by Narasimha Rao, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, H.D. Deve Gowda, and Inder Kumar Gujral until 1999. The coalition governments of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh faced internal conflicts and scandals, leading to not only political decline but also difficulties in economic development. Due to coalition politics, Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh had to bear the pressure and corruption of several regional leaders. It can be called a political miracle that in ten years of Narendra Modi’s tenure, not a single minister has faced credible allegations of corruption. Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders have made numerous accusations against the government, yet the people elected Modi’s government for a third time.
More than the Central government, weak Chief Ministers, and unstable coalition governments in states have caused huge harm to social and economic development. Interestingly, in 1956, defection began in Kerala, which dealt a blow to the Congress party with a majority. Since then, Kerala has seen coalition governments with communist parties, the Muslim League, local parties, and Congress alliances, playing a game of friendship and enmity that continues to this day. The state and central faces or masks are different, creating a web of confusion for party workers and the public. In the recent elections, too, the CPM fielded a candidate against Rahul Gandhi, and the same happened in West Bengal.
Meanwhile, they strategized together for the so-called central coalition. Such political farce and deceit are rarely seen in the world. For them, it is a game of power, but such situations have led Kerala to lag behind the neighbouring southern states in economic development. Despite leading in literacy, many qualified people had to seek employment and business opportunities abroad, especially in Gulf countries. The same situation occurred in West Bengal, where industries that thrived until the 1970s were destroyed due to the manipulations by the Congress, Communists, Maoists, and the Trinamool Congress. Even industrialists like Tata and Birla had to move their industries to other states.
Neighbouring Bihar and Jharkhand also lagged in economic development due to defection, corruption, weak Chief Ministers, and unstable governments. From Bharat Ratna Karpoori Thakur to Nitish Kumar or Congress’s honest Chief Ministers like Bhagwat Jha Azad, society suffered due to their short tenures.
While Nitish Kumar received continuous public support, he also had to rely on leaders like Lalu Yadav, who were accused of extreme corruption. The plight of Jharkhand, formed after a struggle for tribal rights, is evident to all. In Uttar Pradesh, after 1967, several unstable governments and weak Chief Ministers emerged due to defections. The national leadership of Congress would appoint and remove leaders like Kamalapati Tripathi, Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna, and Narayan Dutt Tiwari as Chief Ministers.
Even today, Rahul Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge do not want a strong Prime Minister in the Centre or a strong Chief Minister in their party. They have continuously undermined their Chief Ministers, whether it was Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan, Kamal Nath in Madhya Pradesh, or earlier honest leaders like Motilal Vora in Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh, or Bhupinder Singh Hooda in Haryana. Tamil Nadu has also been consistently influenced by coalition politics.
The northeastern states are now making some economic progress, but instability and corruption caused severe damage. Surprisingly, even those who see and understand this reality are advocating for weak coalition governments and Chief Ministers in the Centre and states.