Results of Indian Elections and
The Indian voters have clearly cast their
verdict in favour of secularism, against regional parties in national politics
and stability. They have voted for India and not the regions. They have also
rejected the left force as a third force in Indian politics where the left has
been routed even in their traditional strong bases in West Bengal and Kerala.
The Congress led UPA has been pleasantly
surprised at the outcome. Wise and scholarly Dr Manmohon Singh, who has already
been named as Prime Minister for another term, will thus be the first Prime
Minister to return to the office in successive elections since Jahwarlal Nehru
in 1961. The Congress that secured 203 seats and the UPA 260 will now just need
a dozen more to reach the magic figure of 272 that will not require any horse
trading. Indian politics is thus set on a stable course over the next five
years at a time when stability is crucial to India’s future.
BJP led NDA did not expect to lose so badly.
In fact, they have been trounced, getting 158 seats. In some bit of soul
searching, the alliance leaders are blaming themselves for their defeat,
particularly for playing the communal card with Varun Gandhi anti-Muslim hate
speech and Narendra Modi’s emergence in the front as a possible Prime Minister
of India. Modi as Chief Minister of
Gujarat, a position that he is still holding, directly used the state machinery
against the Muslims in the Hindu-Muslim riots in 2002 in the province. His
complicity in the riots has been condemned in India and well as abroad and the
United States has a ban on him from entering the country for his role in the
Gujarat riots.
The elections will bring to office in New
Delhi a strong and stable government that is necessary for India to deal with
the current economic crisis in the country; a crisis that has resulted from the
world economic meltdown. The strong and stable government will also allow India
to carry forward its strategic partnership with the US that was put into place
when President Bush was in office. There are a host of other issues that the
two countries need to closely interact with and the election result will allow
India to do that with President Obama who is deeply concerned with security in
the region with situation in Pakistan and Afghanistan sliding. The results will
also give a strong signal to foreign investors who had been uncomfortable under
the last UPA Government that was threatened into inertia and inaction by the
left parties that was a part of the UPA alliance before it came out to make
life difficult for the government on economic issues and issues of economic
reform.
For Bangladesh, the results mean Congress
will be in power for the next 5 years, stronger and confident. The AL
Government that has historically close relations with India can now use that
closeness to resolve a number of outstanding issues in our bilateral relations
, on water sharing, maritime boundary demarcation, trade issues and militancy.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina should, at the earliest opportunity, meet the
Indian Prime Minister and also make efforts to interact with Sonia Gandhi, for
political direction from them to overcome the mindset in India for betterment
of Bangladesh-India relations. There are also a few lessons to be learnt from
the Indian elections. The way Manmohon Singh and LK Advani have interacted with
each other after the results were announced should remind our leaders what they
lack. The offer of Manmohon Singh to take the opposition on board to govern
CFAS
Editorial Board.