The Hindu Business Line : Healthy politics

THE Defence Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, has done the unthinkable in the Indian context. He has set a heart-warming example of unusual broadmindedness in Parliament while making a statement on a decision taken on a very sensitive matter by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government.

He was setting at rest a totally mindless controversy whipped up in certain sections of the media over the NDA Government's alleged delay of 18 days in authorising the use of the Indian Air Force in support of the Army during the Kargil war of 1999.

The tendentious media reports had suggested that air strikes from the very start would have considerably reduced the casualties. Mr Mukherjee has cogently refuted this contention, by pointing out that the wait was because of the Vajpayee Government's anxiety to avoid the escalation of the conflict, and that the timing of deployment of air power was a result of "a fuller and in-depth appreciation of the emerging situation."

This is perhaps the first time in the history of Indian democracy that the Minister of an incumbent Government has actually endorsed the stand taken by a predecessor Government, instead of exploiting the occasion to score political points.

Although not so formally or explicitly, Mr P Chidambaram too had been throwing hints of continuing with the course taken by the previous dispensation in respect of some of the economic and financial issues. These are altogether welcome signs of a ripening democracy that derives its strength and sustenance from a benign blend of constructive cooperation and healthy competition among political rivals.

Let us hope it augurs well for the dawn of a new political culture in India, as against the prevailing one, which has hitherto been to use every available opportunity to show political opponents in poor light, and indulge in vilification of their policies and actions, on the unshakeable presumption that they can do nothing right.

The first thing that a new Government does is to throw out summarily ongoing projects and schemes launched by their political adversaries in the previous Government, without a thought to the enormous waste of public funds and precious time spent on them.

It will mean a phenomenal boost to progress in every direction and on every plane if all our politicians follow the example of Mr Mukherjee so that political parties and their leaders in different camps, while retaining their identities and objectives, are able to get the best out of each other for the common good.

B. S. Raghavan