Now that the Indian government has vote of confidence, and that every one — individuals and political leaders — conducted themselves with integrity and much passion (the allegations of bribe should be investigated if there was any prima facie credibility to them), the government and the opposition should get on with their business — the government with governing and proposing, and the opposition with debating government’s proposals.
In the debate on India-US Nuclear and 123 agreements, all points of view appeared to be reasonable and that’s has been the challenge — there is no definitive evidence. Any indeterminate political debate in unlikely to die. Over time, the nuances of the agreements will become clear and the country can continue the debate.
May be Rahul Gandhi has a point — we just have to put our anxieties and get on with the business. Rahul Gandhi was most authentic and material — his compliments of Atal Behari Vajpayee was thoughtful.
The communists should not over react by demanding that India sever all its relations with Israel and/or any negotiations with the World Trade Organization. The opposition political parties should gracefully accept the outcome of the parliamentary vote. The government cannot take this vote of confidence as a complete vote of confidence of the country on all the nuances of the Nuclear agreements. Hubris, on part of political parties, will come to haunt them — after all, the next parliamentary elections are due in the next 8-9 months (not too far away).
The Indian government should propose some modest measures to further liberalize the economy and commerce (though that is difficult under the current economic conditions of high oil and food prices, inflation, and uncertain global conditions), and the opposition, where it considers the government proposal to be ill-conceived, should debate the matter.
As the government considers the liberalization proposals (e.g., privatization of public sector companies, more flexible labor policies, corporate bond market), it has to consider the tough economic conditions both within and outside the country. Simply put, is the Indian economy robust enough now to absorb too many transitions?
In any case, liberalization with regard to greater foreign equity and participation in India’s economy and commerce must be even more carefully thought out for two reasons — one substantial and the other political. Substantially, India has done well with a more deliberate approach to globalization (because global shocks are moderated) and that should continue to be governing principle. Politically, the governing political parties do not want to be tarred with a non-Indian interest rhetoric (coming immediately after the India-US Nuclear agreement push).
Finally, India has to seriously debate the merits and pitfalls of Iran-India gas pipeline through Pakistan. Given the current geopolitics, does this project make economic sense? That’s the question.
Post Script on July 23rd: It is sorry to see the spectacle of Somnath Chatterjee — he had plenty of opportunity to show greater public spiritedness. Even if he continued to believe that he was a non-partisan adjudicator (and this claim is most dubious when he made such obviously partisan comments about Bharatiya Janata Party), and felt that his presidency of the critical vote in Lok Sabha was important for the dignity of the office of Speaker, he could have resigned from the speakership immediately after announcing the results of the vote on the trust/confidence motion moved by the Prime Minister ManMohan Singh without any compromise to his non-partisan status and the dignity of the office. By not doing so, and by his earlier actions, Chatterjee makes it difficult not to infer that he was more interested in protecting his self-interest than promoting public good and cause. See my earlier posting, “Rahul Gandhi, and Somnath Chatterjee in the Indian political debate of the merits of the India-US Nuclear agreement” on this matter.
Tags: 123 agreement, Atal Behari Vajpayee, Bharatiya Janata Party, Global Economy, Global Politics, Globalization, India-US Nuclear agreement, Iran India Pipeline, Israel, Liberalization, Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, Somnath Chatterjee, World Trade Organization
