K.V. Seetharamaiah
Except on pay and perks issue, ruling parties and opposition parties are never on the same page on any other issue. Their wave length is also not same in matters of pay and perks. Generally, every defeated party congratulates the victorious parties in election and assures full co-operation in running the government. But this assurance is observed more in breach than in honour. When individuals change their loyalty from one party to the other, their opinions also change on any issue according to needs. Change of party loyalty is occasioned more by personal needs than on ideological issues. It is not surprising that Congress Working Committee (CWC) has opposed tooth and nail any plan for simultaneous elections. The move for simultaneous elections has been dubbed as attacks on federal structure of the Constitution by the CWC. Opinion has been gaining ground for simultaneous elections but CWC’s opposition to it looks absurd. For ensuring simultaneous polls, it goes without saying that there is need for amendment in the Constitution and the Representation of People’s Act. Needs of the people are not like stationary water. Needs change according to the changing times and tastes of the people. Change is the order of nature. Therefore any amendment in Constitution is not attack on federal structure. If amendment in the constitution can be viewed as attack on federal structure, the Constitution would not have undergone 105 amendments. All these amendments have not been made in the regime of any one particular party government. Probably none of the amendments aimed at the welfare of the people has undergone without stiff opposition from the opposition benches. Because the opposition parties see any issue from different prism. Obviously what is good for ruling party is bad for opposition party and what is good for opposition party is bad for the ruling party. The interest of the people is takeing back seat. Appeasement politics takes precedent over the interest of people. Inequality among the people has been taking deeper and deeper roots. INDIA bloc is a divided house. Equality does not subsist if attack one particular caste or community is taken seriously and the attack on other caste or community is either downplayed or taken in lighter vein. The ‘unity’ forged for election purpose is fragile and the contours of differences of opinion among the constituents of the INDIA bloc are clearly manifest. There are many stalwarts in race for prime ministerial post in INDIA bloc. AAP wants Arvind Kejriwal, Congress wants Rahul Gandhi, TMC wants Mamata Banerjee and JDU wants Nitish Kumar to be groomed as Prime as Prime Minister. BSP chief Mayawati has been maintaining low key. In JDS, the age is not on the side of former Prime Minister H.D. Devegowda. Poor show of JDS in elections after elections has imbeciled former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy of JDS to be in race for Prime Ministership. In fact JDS has been facing existential crisis with neither INDIA bloc nor NDA showing any interest in inducting JDS to their group. There was a time when Jaya, Maya and Mamata were hailed as trinities. Now Jaya is no more and Maya has been not as active in politics as she was earlier. Seemingly, time has come for Mayawati to pass the batton of leadership to some young person in BSP. Except Congress, no other constituents of INDIA bloc have been vociferously voicing their opinion against the move for simultaneous polls. The other parties seem to have realized the futility of spending their energy and time on this issue since the present NDA strength of Lok Sabha is likely to pave way for passing of the Bill. Further, not all the opposition Rajya Sabha members are with INDIA bloc when it comes to the passing of the Bill in Upper House. Simultaneous poll definitely saves a lot of money to the nation and eases the burden on public exchequer. Now NDA must set the ball rolling.
