On at least two occasions in recent days, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has drawn attention to the fact that government decision-making has become more complicated today. Earlier, at the McKinsey meet, he pointed to the “nature of competitive politics” and “fractured mandates” that make it difficult for governments to do “what is manifestly obvious”. Then, at an international conference on federalism on Monday, the PM extended the theme. He spoke of the difficulties of multi-party governments at the Centre that include regional parties with limited reach and agendas. Can such a government provide the “unity of purpose” that “nation-states have to often demonstrate”, he wondered. Given the ongoing impasse at the Centre, the prime-ministerial speeches frame a deep unease at the turn of events vis-a-vis the nuclear deal. Step back a bit, and they touch upon some of the fundamental concerns of our political times. But the nation would have liked the prime minister to begin where he has stopped.It is true that hectic transformations in our polity over the last couple of decades have changed the nature and processes of governance. The party system has become more competitive; regional parties now assert themselves at the Centre with a new vigour. It is true also that the coalition dharma is yet to become a habit or democratic routine. And, it is not always clear that regional parties are able or willing to take the longer view, to work together towards the collective good. But given that the processes that have changed the big political picture are deep and structural, given also that in many ways they have led to the empowerment of new groups and articulation of neglected interests in a diverse, federal polity, the question is: where do we go from here? How and where do we find the new centre of gravity? How do we negotiate the complex and conflicting demands that can no more be seen as a hindrance to governance but are becoming the stuff of governance itself?The paralysis of decision-making at the Centre has been exposed by the continuing drama over the nuclear deal. The prime minister has done well to identify the underlying factors that have brought the nation to such a pass. Now that the diagnosis is done, we await a prescription.
