Indian United Front government falls
By Sujatha Fernandes
Indian parliamentary politics has again entered a situation of uncertainty after the Congress party withdrew its support for Prime Minister Deve Gowda and his United Front government. On April 11, the 10-month-old government was voted out of power in the Lok Sabha. The country now faces the possibility of fresh polls if the various parties within the United Front cannot find some way of working together.
The United Front was a heterogenous conglomerate of 13 left, centrist and regional parties, united on the basis of anti-communalism. It was based on three political formations: the Left Front, consisting of four left organisations, the Federal Front, consisting of various regional groups, and the Janata Dal Party.
The United Front government received outside support from the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and the Congress(I).
The current impasse is based on the Congress' demand that Deve Gowda step down and another leader be elected. The Left Front supports Deve Gowda and does not trust the Congress to give support even if its demands for a new leader are met.
However, each side is dependent on the other: the United Front will not be able to stay in power without the Congress, and the Congress does not have the numbers to form a government on its own. In the last few days both sides have organised meetings to try to come to some agreement.
The United Front and the Congress are eager to avoid elections, as neither is in a position to face the polls and elections could benefit the Hindu fundamentalist party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is currently the largest single party in parliament.
If elections are held, it is expected that the BJP will be able to form government in coalition with regional groups that may split from the United Front. The role of the regional parties will be crucial.
The CPI(M) is also keen for fresh elections because it feels that the Congress government's lack of commitment to secularism has been exposed and in new elections it would have nothing to campaign on, while the United Front could stand on a principled opposition to communalism. The CPI(M) is confident that if new elections are held, the United Front will be in a strong position.
Currently the United Front remains in government in a caretaker capacity until April 23, when the budget is passed.