Once again it was proven on March 15 that the world’s largest democracy has the will and resources at its command to uphold the rule of law. With the Hindu activists climbing down from their confrontational attitude, the country heaved a sigh of relief.
The clouds of feared communal strife were cleared with the VHP performing rituals outside the government-acquired land in Ayodhya. The subdued VHP program helped avert what could have been an ugly showdown with the government.
The first firm step in this direction was the Supreme Court’s decision. The highest court stepped in decisively to save secularism and the verdict restored the common man’s faith in the judiciary.
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s government also deserves credit for handling the explosive situation effectively. One might argue about the government’s political compulsion to thwart the VHP’s move and implement the court ruling. Even then, however, the importance of the decision must not be overlooked.
There is another reason why the much-trumpeted VHP ceremony fizzled out — the unexpectedly low turn-out of the “kar sevaks” (volunteers), barely a few hundred. The police and paramilitary personnel thus out-numbered the volunteers and everything went as planned — much to the disappointment of the Hindu hard-liners.
Of course, a surprise presence at the Ayodhya ceremony was that of Shatrughan Singh, head of the Ayodhya Cell in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). Singh surprised everyone by receiving, on behalf of the Indian government, the stone-slabs from the VHP leader. Receiving the slabs drew sharp criticism from both the media and the opposition parties.
People feel that by sending a central government official to the ceremony, government impartiality was compromised. The state’s credibility was consequently undermined. Surely the presence of Singh lent official approval to the temple campaign but it might also be seen as another attempt by the embattled Vajpayee to placate his largest constituency, the Hindu hard-liners.
During the crisis, Vajpayee’s government was rocked badly. The allies were “unhappy” with the government because of the stand taken by the attorney general who favored permission for rituals at the disputed site.
But a divided opposition helped the government stay in place. The opposition’s inability to forge a common front against the government has allowed Vajpayee and his followers to overcome many problems.
The government was bailed out this time not because of the projected “TINA” (There Is No Alternative) syndrome, but the “SITA” (Sonia Is The Alternative) phobia of the opposition. Vajpayee should thank the Congress party chief for not being acceptable as an alternative to him.
The government has lurched from one crisis to another since March last year when it was shaken by a defense corruption scandal. The ruling coalition has recently also lost major state elections.
In July government credibility was further diminished when a multimillion-rupee scam, affecting 20 million investors, was uncovered in UTI, the country’s largest mutual fund. The government also came under attack for other reasons, including altering the school curriculum to give it a Hindu bias and for alleged bungling in the divestment of state equity in public companies.
Individually opposition parties continue to mount attacks but none of them seems capable of threatening the government seriously. This may be due to their inability to agree on a common strategy and a prospective leader, specifically Sonia Gandhi.
Congress under Sonia’s leadership has obviously failed to lead the opposition’s challenge. The party could have embarrassed the government on many issues but it has failed in its function as the main opposition.
Disunity among the opposition is benefiting the BJP government. The opposition in 1999 stood together and voted out the Vajpayee-led coalition by a single vote. But the opposition’s failure to cobble a credible alternative as well as its later election defeats resulted in trouble between the Congress and some smaller groups.
Thanks to all this, Vajpayee has emerged as the longest serving prime minister outside of the Congress. If such incidents as Ayodhya, are allowed to proliferate and continue, the ruling alliance might well disintegrate sooner rather than later.
