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 UPA: One
year after return to power:
This May 2010, UPA completed its one
year in the seat of power for the second term. Now it is being
christened as UPA II and political pundits .....
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New Delhi:
The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) will celebrate the first
anniversary of its second consecutive term in office on Saturday
after a sweet and sour year marked by misses and hits in governance
and its deft management of uncertainties of coalition politics.
As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh unveils the “report to the people”
on the achievements of his government, the spate of Maoist strikes
tested the Government, especially after the two big naxal attacks in
the space of six weeks in Chhatisgarh that killed 110 CRPF personnel
and civilians. Price rise was also a burning issue with the UPA-II
facing lost of flak.
While the Congress-led alliance and its supporters took credit for
the passage of Women’s Reservation Bill in Rajya Sabha and making
Right to Education a fundamental right, its foes saw the UPA-II
tenure a “disastrous” one.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who is also the UPA Chairperson,
was credited for pushing the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Rajya
Sabha but questions remained when it would be passed in the Lok
Sabha amid fierce opposition from the Yadav trio as also from BSP
supremo Mayawati.
Despite skating on thin ice as regards numbers, the coalition shook
off the opposition challenge in Parliament successfully defeating
the cut motion.
Another highlight of the second term with the economist
-turned-politician at the helm of afffairs was that India remained
on the high growth path amid the global slowdown.
The Opposition painted a bleak picture of the ruling coalition’s
performance. Expectedly critical, it said UPA¿s one-year record
appears to be a case of belied hopes.
BJP has accused UPA of misusing institutions like CBI to manage
vulnerable allies, faltering on strategic and foreign policy issues,
failing to deliver on internal security front and in controlling
prices. BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar said UPA II’s first year was
“disastrous”.
“Normally, the first year of any government or honeymoon period is a
very comfortable period. For Congress-led UPA, it started with a
slender majority and opportunistic support of BSP, SP and RJD but
they thought they had captured the moon and made arrogance their
political culture,” Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley
said.
The opposition also cited the issue of separate Telangana to accuse
the coalition of indecisiveness and flip-flops.
For Congress, leading the coalition, the first year was a smooth
affair.
“It has been a year of achievements and fulfilment, a year of
satisfaction but also the year of realising that there are many
miles to go. It is an ongoing journey,” says party spokesman
Abhishek Singhvi.
Singhvi referred to the Unique Identification project, expansion of
rural job guarantee scheme NREGA, the National Food Security Act,
health security for all citizens, bank credit to small farmers at
low rate of interest, women’s reservation Bill as some of the
achievements.
He says while some of them have been fulfilled, the remaining would
be realised soon, adding “These are the issues which we believe are
game changers for society. We always considered them vital issues.”
The exit of Shashi Tharoor from the government following the
controversy over IPL Kochi franchise roiled the image of the
government whose Communication Minister A Raja of DMK is facing
allegations of corruption over the 2G telecom spectrum allocation.
The BJP says the government deserves a score of three out of 10 on
its performance.
“The Government has failed the test. It will not get more than three
out of ten marks... its main failure” is on the price front,” says
Javadekar.
Even Congress allies are maintaining that the party needs to do more
on the issues of dealing with coalition partners and tackling
problems of price rise and Maoists.
“Better coordination among the partners will definitely strengthen
the UPA,” insists Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay.
NCP General Secretary D P Tripathi, whose party is also part of the
coalition, says, “UPA is good. It has to become better”.
“After gaining 206 seats in the Lok Sabha, the Congress has become
far less democratic,” says a leader of one of the allies.
“What happened to the promise on ‘100 days performance’ of the
government,” asked an MP of a key ally.
DMK, the third largest party in the coalition after Congress and
Trinamool with 18 seats, however, says it has no complaints.
“DMK is on very good terms with the UPA and we are part of the
government. We have very good relations with the Congress. We have
no complaints,” says party spokesperson T K S Elangovan.
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