International Referred Reseach Journal,February,2011 ISSN-0975-3486 RNI: RAJBIL 2009/300097 VOL-I *ISSUE 17

Research PaperPolitical Science

COALITION POLITICS ISSUES & PROBLEMS

February, 2011

* Pardeep Kumar
However, our focus in this paper is limited to political level, to the issues of (1) The role of regional political parties during coalition government (2). The role of Governor in coalition formation (3) impact of coalition government of center-State relations (4) impact of coalition government on administrative system of Country (5) Relations between constituents of coalition government. Role of Regional Parties The party system in an integral institution of democratic government. India's multi party system consists of national parties and a number of regional political parties. However, in this age of coalition government and consequent changes in the political scenario, the regional political parties have become assertive and they are in a position to influence the course of national politics. An example of regional party's assertion was witnessed during NDA government when Akali Dal and AIADMK forced roll back of budget measures to increase the price of fertilizers by the NDA government. The leader of DMK, Karunanidhi, threatened that his party would quit the NDA if the commitments of the national agenda for governance were violated. After provocative statements by Prime-Minister on the Ayodhya issue in December 2000, he was forced to re-emphasize the government's commitment to the national agenda for governance. The BJP had argued against the use of article 356 in its 1998 election manifesto, but there was pressure from the AIADMK, Samta Party and Trinamul Congress to topple the state government led by their chief opponents. However, such intervention was opposed by otehr coalition supporters in power in thier states, notably the Akali dal and TDP, who were worried that it could prove to be destabilizing factor. The BJP eventually bowed to the pressure in October 1998, announcing President's Rule in Bihar, but the attempt was rebuffed by President Narayanan who felt there were insufficient reasons and a danger that it would be unconditional. A second attempt in February 1999 was stymied by INC's opposition in Rajya Sabha. The BJP's vacillations over the use of article 356 showed that compulsions of coalition politics did not pull all in the same way. For some state parties, the short-term benefit
I S A N D E V A L U A T I O N

* Research Scholar, Deptt. Of Pol Science, K.U. Kurukshetra

The aggressive manner in which the phenomenon of coalition politics has become to pervade the democracies of the developed and developing countries reflects new configurations of power and affords new challenges as well as opportunities. This article, while making a preliminary appraisal of the modus operandi of the coalitional phenomenon in the Indian context, also examines the new issues and problems emerging out of this phenomenon which seems to have become a permanent feature of the Indian polity, Ed.] In its ordinary usage, 'Coalition' refers to a group of people who come together to achieve some end, usually on a temporary basis. In politics, it signifies a parliamentary or political grouping of different parties, interest groups or factions termed for making and or influencing policy decisions or securing power. The history of Indian political parties is a pattern of steady fragmentation of political forces reflecting the regional division of the country. These factors and forces together proclaimed the era of Coalition Government at the Centre and in some states. Since the ninth parliamentary election (1989), this era started at the central level. This development introduced high volatility and instability in the polity in the 1990s, which witnessed five votes of no-confidence and three general elections to Lok Sabha in a short span of 1996 to 1999. In 1999 it culminated in the disparate and fragile 24- party National Democratic alliance (NDA) coming to power despite being incoherent in political Ideology and beset with numerous internal contradictions. That the coalition politics is going to stay in the country is proved by results of 14th -15th Lok Sabha elections (2004, 2009). This is, in fact, the case in a wide range of democracies of coalition government in continents Europe, Scandinavia, Israel and Canada. Coalition politics encompasses a wide range of issues. It can take place at the level of society, i.e. interest groups like industrialists, land owners, farmers, workers, etc., or communal, caste, regional, linguistic, ethnic and other groups. It can also take place at the political level of party politics in electoral alliances, within legislatures, in the process of government formation, and in the functioning of Coalition and/ or minority governments during their tenure.

134

International Referred Reseach Journal,February,2011 ISSN-0975-3486 RNI: RAJBIL 2009/300097 VOL-I *ISSUE 17

to be gained from imposition of control actually overweighed the destabilizing effects his had on Center-State relations. For other parties in the coalition, both short term and long term interests were served by Government's restraint in the use of article 356. In April 1998, after R Muthiale, from AIADMK, was arraigned on the charges of assets desprotionate to his known sources of income, Jayalalita protested that other members of NDA government (Including Buta SIngh, Ramkrisha Hegde & Ram Jethmalani) were also involved in various scams. Trinamul Congress sued the accepted or resignation of portfolios to signals its distance from the BJP, according to prevailing election climate. Role of Governor The underlying philosophy of the framers of the Indian Constitution was to keep India strong and united. This philosophy gets reflected in the institutional set-up provided, for the governance of the country. The institution of the governor and the functions assigned to him is the result of this philosophy. If this fact is kept in mind, the criticism leveled against the governors of few states, will have to be directed against the system of which governor is the part. It is not an accident, but part of thinking and design of the Constitution makers that article 356 of the Constitution draws inspiration from notorious section 93 of the Government of India Act, 1935. The institution of governor, designed for maintaining links and building harmony between the Centre and the states within a framework of cooperative federalism, has become a hotbed of controversy. Where a party emerges from election with an over all majority this is the straight forward statement, but in case of hung assembly it can be more controversial. In the Indian case, it is clear that the choice of state governor can play an important role in future handling of government formation and while they are supposed to act impartially, some are more impartial than others. The basic issue is that the for a coalition politics because of its inherent instability, such situations will arise time and again. Apart form increase in parliamentary manipulations, inter-party and intra-party conflicts will always pose a threat to the continuation of the governments. Dissolutions of assembly, dismissal of ministers, removal of Chief Minister will always be demanded by one party or the other. This situation lays itself open to some kind of manipulation by the governor. The example of Governor Motilal Vohra dismissing Mulayam Singh government could not be considered relevant. Vohra was anxious to have Mulayam Singh lost his majority on the floor of the House. Also, he advised him to voluntarily resign. Governor Bhandari offered neither of the two alternatives to Kalyan Singh. Indian democracy faces a serious-threat from this situR E S E A R C H A N A L Y S I S A

ation and this trend needs to be arrested. Impact on Center -State Relations The Indian parliamentary system of government invests executive power in cabinet and council of Ministers. Legislation is mainly enacted by the government. In a federal system government functions are divided between the national and state levels (part X of the Constitution). The government system that developed under the INC (Indian National Congress) domination in the post-Independence period, Prime-Minister provided a strong personal and centralized such as Planning Commission. In this system, formal mechanism for cabinet government is weakened and instead power is centralized in the Prime Minister and otherwise utilized through a variety of executive agencies and ministries, with limited scope for parliamentary influence. Under the Congress system the relations between Center and State governments were controlled through the internal structures of centralized India National Congress. Under one-party dominance system, the interests of INC were served through a centralized system of spending, largely controlled by the Planning Commission and n aggressive policy of central intervention in state politics, often leading to the imposition of direct rule from New Delhi. As INC hegemony waned and also the fact that many regional parties are constituents of the government at he central level, the formal federal structure has become more firmly entrenched. This has led to a greater degree of autonomy for the state governments although the system is still heavily centralized. This has meant that the state government faces less direct interference from the central government and the regional parties in the coalition government have the sufficient scope to assert their autonomy. Impact on Administrative System Administrative system of the country functions under the supervision and control of political elite. However, the inherent instability also coasts its impact on the administrative system. Excessive political strife and repeated unstable governments would naturally, in ordinary cases, affect good governance and the welfare of the people and even the security of the country may suffer if attention is diverted too long, from the real objects for which democratic system exists.In such cases, the solution must be sought as to how to make the administrative machinery so strong that even without superior direction and vigilance for a short period; it can carry on its functions without determent to public interests. The bureaucrats under such system can play one constituent against another and in the process can assert their position. Only stable government can exercise proper control on over-powerful bureaucracy that exists in India. History of France furnishes useful exN D E V A L U A T I O N

135

International Referred Reseach Journal,February,2011 ISSN-0975-3486 RNI: RAJBIL 2009/300097 VOL-I *ISSUE 17

ample in this context. Relationship Among Coalition Constituents While analyzing the relationship between and among allies in a coalition government, a distinction has to be made between their formal relationship and their actual relationship. Formally they are bound by certain institutions in the governments where they try to establish common attitudes, say form example, all constituents swear their support to the common programme arrived at. They cooperate in the matter of voting against their opponents in the opposition and for carrying out all promises over which agreement has been reached.But behind this facade of formal relationship, lies the fact that each party wants to preserve its independence, individuality, distinct entity and freedom of action as different from collective assembly of coalition. In the actual power relationship, it outlines its independence by putting emphasis on its party programme of coalition. It does not want to get submerged in the totality of coalition. In the actual power relationship, it is guided by consideration of elections and its popular image. Each and every move of these parties, whether inside the coalitions or outside, is motivated by the desire to influence the electorate. The recent move of CPI (M)to oppose the INDO-US nuclear deal is an example in this context. Coalition government may be the result of preelectoral alliance or post-electoral alliance. Furthermore, some allies may be extending outside support to the government instead of joining the cabinet. The coalition government formed as a result of pre-electoral alliance may be more stable and coherent. Instead, there is lot of bargaining for reaching post-electoral alliance where various pulls and pressures for getting lucrative posts in the ministries has become a practice. This phenomenon can be clearly witnessed in the present coalition of 19 parties led by the Congress. Coalition government, however, has come to stay. Coalition is the result of socio-economic and regional diversity of India. The coalition governments are inevitable consequence of the diversity and size of India and the social churning taking place in the country. Coalitions are also representative of the ascendance of the state level parties in any parts of country mainly at the cost of Congress party. They portend the rise of backward castes in north India along the pattern of south India. Once the lower castes represented by political parties like RJD, BSP, SP and TDP etc. have tested electoral power, they are unlikely

to let it go so easily. They will negotiate from a position of strength and give a thrust in the direction of the empowerment of disadvantaged. Therefore, coalition governments may be more representative and essential for political development of the country. However, following measures can be suggested to make the coalition government more cohesive, stable and vibrant with a capacity for good governance: 1. Coalition should normally be formed on the basis of common minimum programme.2.Constitutional functionaries such as President, the Prime Minister, the Governor and the Chief-Minister as well as Civil Service should not transgress or be denied their role just because the government happened to be a coalition. 3. Parties should ensure consultation and cooperation between the organization and ministerial wings through coordination committee or othe4r similar device. 4.While an effort on the part of each coalition party to expand its support base was understandable and could not be avoided altogether, ti should not be their immediate and exclusive objective. It should also we loyalty to the coalition and its agreed common programme. This would serve as safeguard against possible mistake of situational discretion by the governor or chief.5.The legislature should remain the platform for determining whether the coalition government still retained or had lost the confidence of the legislature.6.The chief minister should normally belong to the largest party in the coalition. Two additional measures, both part of German Parliamentary practice, could be taken together to help stabilize coalition government. first, a provision that the parliament should elect the prime-minister directly, as in Germany, should be adopted. This will force all coalition partners to vote for the same candidate. Second, a constructive or positive vote of no confidence provision; as in article 67 of the basic law of Germany, in which a vote of non-confidence against an incumbent Prime Minister has to, in the same resolution, pose confidence in the successor. This would have a two-fold stabilizing effect on incumbent coalition by firstly, making a decision on an alternative necessary before a non-confidence motion can be moved and secondly, giving the incumbent time to take political counter measures when he inevitably, comes to know of moves to oust him. These measures, if adopted properly, can go a long way to make the coalition government stable, coherent and essential for political development of the country.

R E F E R E N C E
1. Raghuveer Singh "Coalition Politics: Some Considerations" in K.P. Karukaram (ed.) Coalitions Government: The Problem and Prospects, Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Shimla,1975. 2. Bidyut Chakraborty, Forging Power: Coalition Politics in India. New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 2006. 3. Ajay K. Mehra, D.D. Khanna, Gert W. Kueck, Political Parties and Party System, Sage Publications, New Delhi, 2006. 4. Subhendu Ranjan Raj, Coalition Politics in India Dimensions of Federal Power Sharing, Manak Publications, New Delhi,2009.

136

I S

I O