While sharp political differences between the two main national political parties, the Indian National Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), are understandable and quite natural, both are obliged to ensure that India’s federal structure is not weakened and day-to-day governance is not harmed by their political rivalry and the egos of their leadership. The BJP’s anger against the Congress, as reflected in the proceedings of the BJP chief ministers’ conclave this week, should not cross the point where the relationship between the Centre and the states of the Union is damaged. As India’s two major national parties, which are also leaders of the two contending coalitions, the United Progressive Alliance and the National Democratic Alliance, both the Congress and the BJP owe it to the nation that they learn to manage their differences in a reasonable manner. The BJP’s decision to stall important economic legislation – including the goods and services tax (GST) – on the grounds that the central government is harassing its chief ministers, especially Narendra Modi, is an unfortunate move to politicise policy making in a federal system. Equally, the Congress cannot treat Mr Modi as if he were a criminal since no charges have been proved against him in court. The BJP has every right to demand fair treatment for the state governments run by it and for its chief ministers, just as the Congress has every right to expect the BJP to behave as a responsible opposition party at the Centre. If each tries to paralyse the working of the governments they control, and if each adopts tactics in opposition that they criticised when in government, the nation would be worse off for it, as it indeed seems to be, given the impasse on critical policy issues.
At the bottom of this impasse lies not just distrust of each other but a more worrying impatience within the leadership of each side with the rival’s ability to regain power. If the Congress is frustrated by Mr Modi’s popularity and success as chief minister, the BJP is frustrated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s longevity and Teflon personality. No shortcut will allow either party to get to the destination they seek to reach. If the Congress wants Mr Modi defeated, it must do that fair and square in the electoral arena, and not by any sleight of hand. No elected politician in a democracy can be treated as a political untouchable. Equally, if the BJP has not yet been able to come to terms with Dr Singh’s return to power there is nothing it can do about it till 2014. Therefore, the BJP must allow him to function effectively until such time as it can challenge the Congress at the hustings. The BJP’s deliberate targeting of the prime minister, seeking to render him ineffective, is not in the national interest. While the central government must allow state governments to function effectively, irrespective of the ideology of the political party in power in the state, the state governments and major opposition parties must allow the government in Delhi to discharge its duties. This is the essence of “cooperative federalism”.