(Sample Material) Gist of Important Articles from IIPA Journal
Topic: Indian Party System towards Coalition Governance: Need for Introspection R.K. Poonia, P.S. Malik and Saroj Malik
Major Problem Areas of Coalition Government: Political Instability
The single greatest problem plaguing Indian polity for adecade is political instability in 14 years after Indira Gandhi’s assassination. India has had seven Prime Ministers. However, the Vajpayee Government in its third chance almost completed full term. But all earlier coalitions have been fragile enjoying low longevity. In coalition politics such a government always suffers from a survival instinct. It is just pursuing one point agenda; to somehow remain in power. In such a situation good governance inevitably becomes impossible. This is a highly worrying aspect in the present phase of governance. Regional parties supporting government are more interested in their local agenda than the national issues. These unstable governments result in inefficient governance which harms the developmental need of the country in a big way. A poor country struggling for faster development, can hardly afford costly premature elections. The last Lok Sabha election cost the exchequer more than 5,000 crore and many times more that amount was spent by political parties and individuals. All this money ultimately comes from people’s pocket in the form of tax and price rise.