Two cheers

The convenient infidelity of the Indian parliamentarian has been much caricatured on our television screens this weekend. Ajit Singh cites the advantages of ethanol over nuclear energy to account for his RLD’s break with the SP. SP leaders present their latest conquest, Brij Bhushan Singh of the BJP. JMM’s Shibu Soren counts off competitive bids from the NDA and the UPA. Congress rebel Kuldeep Bishnoi makes reference to a Rs 100 crore offer for his vote and hops off to a BJP dinner. And Ateeq Ahmed becomes the mascot for the jailbird MP, gaining in the trust vote a chance to enjoy the hospitality of the state bhavans in New Delhi. It would seem to be open season for cynicism.

The reality, however, has shown itself to be more healthy than the engrossing exceptions. Alliances have regrouped, but parties are not exactly crumbling on themselves. If the odd Congress or BJP MP has given in to temptations or made the most of his looming irrelevance in the next general election, the rest have in contrast held steadfast to their respective party lines. This goes beyond the parties, the NDA and UPA coalition partners too have held together, presumably amidst great inducements to shift alignments. The BSP and SP, so far outside of the two coalitions, have not so much ditched partners as much as tried to find space in national politics.

Celebrate too the one exception that has upheld the dignity of the House. The CPM is unfortunately making Somnath Chatterjee’s defiance a point of prestige, instead of seeing it as a correction for flawed party strategy. The CPM’s attempt to impose a partisan agenda on the speaker shows how dependent key offices are on the discretion of the incumbent. So in a week when Indian democracy wins itself two cheers, the speaker has laid claim to three.