Let’s Not Waste a Good Maharashtra Political Crisis

[00:00:00] Rise Above the Din, Unbox the News with me, Raghav Behal The Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress Coalition in Maharashtra, you know, perhaps what I would call the second most unthinkable political alliance in India. And that's next only to what I would call the most incompatible BJP-PDP coalition in

[00:00:24] J&K and all of us know how that ended with quite devastating consequences. So what are the lessons from this most unusual 80 hour long Maharashtra political fiasco? One, and this is for President Ramnath Kovind. Unfortunately his constitutional obligations, what can I say, they've been highly compromised.

[00:00:51] He should recall the folly of former President Fakruddin Ali Ahmad on the intervening night of June 25th and the 26th 1975 when Mrs. Indira Gandhi's proclamation of emergency was signed without any cabinet advice. As a young political activist then, I'm sure Ramnath Kovind must have joined his

[00:01:16] leaders in sort of condemning, brutally almost condemning that constitutional travesty. Now the baton is with him. He must never allow such a dangerous breach of due process ever again. Number two and this is for Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. It's quite sad because his conduct was again dubiously partisan.

[00:01:42] He almost seemed to be acting on the orders, instructions, orders of his erstwhile political masters. He too must recall the condemnation that was heaped on former Governor Buta Singh who whimsically dismissed Bihar's elected assembly in 2005 and that happened simply because Lalu Prasad

[00:02:05] Yadav who was then quite an influential minister in the UP government at the centre at that time simply because he wanted it so. Again I'm sure Koshyari must have railed against that politically obnoxious action. Perhaps he should now take moral responsibility for what happened in Maharashtra and resign

[00:02:30] and that I think will go some distance in restoring the sanctity of his office. Now let's look at lesson number three and this is for the BJP and Prime Minister Modi. From here on I believe the Modi government must give supreme precedence to democratic institutions and conventions.

[00:02:51] You know it's often said almost frivolously that politics is the art of the possible. I concede that but that cannot degenerate into only ends matter and however questionable the means we will achieve the ends that we want to. It's not the same.

[00:03:08] You know if anything a graceful acceptance of laws is quite an asset it actually enhances it does not diminish it enhances one's political stature and by the way tweeting can be injurious to health. You know what look at what happened a very usually a very circumspect Prime Minister

[00:03:29] Modi in my assessment made what I call a flamboyant political error when he tweeted within minutes of that early morning coup within minutes he tweeted congratulating Devendra Fadnovis and Ajit Pawar. Now you know his electorate virtually made him the architect of this operation in public perception.

[00:03:51] I must I'll be honest I was I was quite surprised that you know a consummate someone with legendary patients a legendarily patient Prime Minister was so keen to put his signature at such a premature at such a at such an uncertain stage of the takeover.

[00:04:11] Okay now for lesson number four and this is for the Congress and Mrs Sonia Gandhi. Most battles are won or lost you know where in the mind but see how the Congress which

[00:04:26] you know seem to have given up even before the campaign began is now in government in Maharashtra it's a government in a state where it actually almost gave up the campaign even before it started and not just in Maharashtra.

[00:04:40] It's also in office in four other powerful states of Northwest and Central India and this is largely thanks to the what I would say the never say die spirit of its own veterans some of whom are also partially estranged from the Congress so the twin lessons for Congress

[00:04:59] are quite obvious one they must pick up the gauntlet and fight hard against the BJP which as has been shown now several times is very powerful but it's not invincible and of course the second lesson is that they should reach out to the very formidable clutch of you

[00:05:18] know ex colleagues of the Congress who have created what I would call fortresses they've created these fortresses against the powerful ruling regime and these people range from Charit Pavar to Mamta Banerjee to the Yadavs to Naidu and you know the need is for the

[00:05:35] Congress to now forge a sustained rainbow coalition I mean they must they must engage they must communicate they must trust trust is very important and they must create these mechanisms you know mechanism mechanisms are very important to give this up very near

[00:05:52] permanent edifice it can be an episodic thing it should be a near permanent edifice this sort of alliance now and of course the critical thing would be for the Congress to also empower its own political heavy weights it's very important for the Congress to not allow

[00:06:08] this momentum to flag and finally lesson number five and this one is for Charit Pavar. You know I think it's a it's a grand and it's not quite fully evolved yet it's an as yet

[00:06:23] evolving autumn for the Patriarch he has emerged in my book as the Bishma Pitama you know the wisest statesman from Mahabharat the Bishma Pitama of opposition politics look at what he did he insisted on Uddhav Thakre leading a five year government and that sort of

[00:06:44] proved that he did not let his ego come in the way so the he showed that how an ego is perhaps the most dispensable item for a successful leader he also persuaded the Congress to join the government no outside support business join the government and

[00:07:01] that ended up or at least has created the potential for maximizing the coalition's stability he also wooed back Ajit Pavar you know his his errant his errant nephew his errant political progeny and that sort of showed the power of reconciliation the power

[00:07:21] of restraint these two qualities are very important when you need to win rearguard battles also all of all through this Charit Pavar was resolute I never saw him getting angry he was resolute not angry in fact I would now wager that he made the fairly

[00:07:41] enviable transition not too many people are able to make it the enviable transition from you know popularly called a master strategist but now transiting on to becoming a political statesman his challenge is now crystal clear he could become the fulcrum the fulcrum

[00:08:01] of a combined opposition to take on the powerful Modi led BJP so that so that whatever the outcome in 2024 whoever wins that's not important whatever the outcome in 2024 India must end up with a more balanced a more fair and a more a more equitable democracy

[00:08:22] thanks for listening tune in next week for another episode of Raghav's take