For a national government

The English poet and satirist Alexander Pope said: “For forms of government let fools contest; whatever is best administered is best governed.”

More than 400 years later, these lines seem to haunt our country, making the wags wail that India seems to be doomed by destiny.

We have a Prime Minister who openly admits to his helplessness arising from the compulsions of “coalition dharma” and squarely blames the Opposition BJP for its “hostile attitude” towards the Government.

In such a background, constitutional amendments of national importance, such as the introduction of a single goods and services tax (GST), are delayed. While on the other side, the majority of Indian citizens continue to wallow in abject poverty and in most squalid of human conditions.

Why should Indians go on enduring terrible suffering, hardship and desperation in the face of their country's growing abundance in human and material resources?

And yet, the current political class is unable to articulate, formulate and bring to fruition public policies and programmes that can restore our national image, and address national concerns and challenges.

Can there be anything more distressing and more shameful for this great country? It is time our educated, well-meaning and patriotic countrymen pondered over this.

Media Stands Taller

On the face of it, the Indian nation seems to be a hopeless case and, for more than once, the Prime Minister was off-beam — from the wrong manner of appointing the CVC to chiding the media for painting the country in negative terms.

The results are clearly evident — the Indian media stands taller now than at any time before. Everyone understands Dr Manmohan Singh's compulsions but there are several time-tested options that can be imbibed from Europe and the rest of the world.

In this context, I would like to make a very bold suggestion to my countrymen.

If we want to return to the Nehruvian period of patriotism and purposefulness, we have no choice now other than ensuring that we bring about a national government for the country, at least till matters are sorted out to a state of normalcy.

The mainstream political parties will never agree to this. Nor will the regional satraps, who have tagged themselves to the former.

But it is only a national government, run without political compulsions, prejudices or, preferences of any kind, and totally dedicated to ensuring justice of all kinds to the people everywhere, that can help to retrieve our lost ground before it is too late. For this, a peaceful revolution is necessary. Yes, this cannot happen as a normal political event.

The nation should rise in peaceful revolt and demand such a government.

It is not as if we do not have the intelligent, competent and honest people required to meet this national requirement. There is urgent need for the mainstream political parties to come together.

Peaceful revolt

Instead of wasting time on inventing fanciful, ideological differences between themselves and then attacking each other by indulging in wasteful diatribes and accusations — for a change, the Congress and BJP, especially the younger generation like Rahul Gandhi, should get together and discover ways of agreeing on fundamentals of governance, thus giving the nation a new direction.

My suggestion of a national government does not side-track the mainstream political parties.

It involves major political parties who, between them, account for almost two-thirds of the vote share and number of parliamentary seats.

As Maharishi Vedavyasa said: Muhurtham Jwalanam Shreyah, Chiram Dhoomayanaat Varam. Meaning: “Like a fire-fly, shine, even for a moment, rather than simmering and smoking for a long, long time”.

In the current situation, our political leaders need to put the country before the individual party interest. It is high time that both parties buried the hatchet on their disagreements and rather than continually snipe at each other.

They must come together in the interest of the country and find ways of tackling the multitude problems of the nation in cooperation rather than in confrontation and opposition.

GRAND COALITION

There are several examples of successful grand coalitions in Europe — in Germany, the UK, Austria, etc. But one model that comes to mind is that of Willy Brandt. Brandt was the Mayor of Berlin and leader of Germany's Social Democrats at a time of immense economic and political crisis in Germany.

When the opportunity came, he swallowed hard and agreed to become half of a “Grand Coalition” of Social Democrats and Christian Democrats — who had not been able to agree even about the time of day for an entire political generation — that would work together for the good of the country.

The Grand Coalition, which governed Germany from the middle to the end of the 1960s, fortified the foundations of German economic prosperity.

Brandt himself served in that Government as deputy chancellor, but soon went on to become a great Chancellor of Germany, whose values and ideas made a huge contribution to the end of the Cold War, and earned him a Nobel Peace Prize too.

There will always be conflicts between parties, and that is quite natural. But, right now, the whole nation and the world is watching India's political leadership.

As I am finishing this column, there is flash news on TV about the DMK walking out of the UPA government. In this situation, there is hardly any justification for the Congress not aligning with the BJP and moving the country forward.

Now is the time for the political leadership of Congress and BJP to be pancha adhika satham — meaning “to speak and act with a single voice”.

(The author is a former Europe Director, CII. blfeedback@thehindu.co.in ).

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