The Indian political
forces that are only focused upon cornering and if possible ousting the ruling
coalition from power have got another democracy-send opportunity to revel in
what they are best at. What is the current economic status of the country, what
are required for pushing up growth, what the citizens of the country want---are
factors farthest removed from their agenda at the moment. They are hardly
against corruption, because they cover it up within their house while attacking
others. They can hardly be called opposition political parties, because their
politics is rudderless at the moment. With the winter session of the Indian Parliament
starting from today their ‘parliamentary’ behavior is rampantly visible as both
houses get adjourned for the day.
They had been
preparing for the most wanted ‘democratic’ moment to garner their forces
against the Government’s reform push in terms of allowing Foreign Direct
Investment (FDI) in Retail and diesel price hike. The modern-day ‘economists’ know
more than anybody that retail FDI is very bad for the country and fuel prices
must be kept at the same level or even lowered so that the ‘common’ man
continues voting for them. On this issue the inimitable Mamata Bannerji, Chief
Minister of West Bengal , took her party out of
the ruling coalition and was waiting for this ‘democratic’ moment to wreak
vengeance for the alleged colossal neglect shown to her by the Government.
Mamata wanted to
bring in a no-confidence motion right at the start of the session. She had been
trying very hard for this end for the past few days. She appealed to the Left
parties of her state whom she overthrew last year to come to power and who she
had been crying murder and conspiracy against all the time to join her to prop
up the required number to qualify for bringing in the motion in Parliament. For
this she also approached the BJP whom she did not take into confidence earlier while deciding about her presidential nominee, because at that time she was an opposing ally of the Government of India. Such was her anti-country…sorry.. anti-Government of India
obsession! As expected, she found no takers for her no-confidence motion and
had a flop show in the Parliament today as her motion was rejected failing to get the requisite number of supporters. She slammed the ‘right’ and the ‘left’
right and left in righteous frustration. The moot point that comes to our gullible
minds—is she an ally or opposition or anti-opposition or anti-right or
anti-left or just Merciless? Sigh!
Meanwhile the ‘right’
(read BJP) and the ‘left’ (read Marxist-Leninist political parties) have
decided to force out an unholy alliance to oppose the reforms by demanding a discussion on the floor of
the lower house on retail FDI and fuel price hike followed by voting. Other political entities of Parliament irrespective of being right, left or wrong have been busy trying how and where exactly to place the center. All these manipulations essentially aimed at ousting
the Government and making way for fresh elections have raised enough steam to
stall the Indian Parliament right from the start today. After all, the important issue is the numbers, and not the country.
The mega
political mess-up is hardly giving us, the gullible bystanders or voters if you may say so, any
chance to decide who is right or left or center or wrong, who is against whom, who is less corrupt or more corrupt, who
is the alternative if the present one is not positive, with whom to side with and
basically how to define parliamentary or unparliamentary behavior—the distinction between
the two getting fuggy, muggy and groggy all the time.
The myriad
anti-corruption saviors, multiplying by the minute, are expected to join in the
mess again anytime with more gunpowder. Hark, behold and, do not decide!
