Can a ‘Third Force’ emerge in India Politics?
‘Hello Mumbai News ‘ got an Exclusive interview with Indian Businessman and NRI , Hemant Shah over phone from Canada :
Hello Mumbai : Tell something about Third Front and what is your personal View ?
Hemant M Shah :
One of the main reasons why the idea of a ‘Maha Gat Bandhan’ (MGB) did not fetch many votes in the General Elections of 2019, is that practically all of the prospective members of MGB – be it NCP, Trinamul, AAP, SP, BSP, RJD, BJD, TDP or JDS – have anti-Congress legacy. Anti-Congressism is in their DNA, which is not conducive to creation of a common platform with Congress, even for the limited objective of sharing spoils of power. While Congress is too weak to present a viable alternative to BJP, it still has (nostalgic) visions of a Grand National party and therefore, it wants to compete with the prospective member-parties of MGB- in Punjab, in Delhi, in Andhra Pradesh, in West Bengal, in UP, practically in every State. The idea, therefore, is riddled with several contradictions.
Hello Mumbai : Do you think Third front will perform well ?
Hemant M Shah :
In this context, the possibility of a ‘Third Front’ is often discussed but, in my view, not seriously enough.
Admittedly, MGB is a non-starter but why ‘Third Front’ should be impractical? For one thing, the members would have no competitive interests. Sharad Pawar, Kejariwal, Chandra Babu Naidu, Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav, Devegauda, Navin Patanayak and several other leaders of regional parties have neither reason nor occasion to compete with others in their respective fiefdoms. Yes, each one or many of them could possibly have ambitions to become PM and in that sense, they may be competitors. But in the current scenario, there is no hope for any non-BJP leader to occupy that coveted seat. At least not for the next 5 years. So, what prevents the non-Congress parties from coming together? Congress is more of a hindrance for MGB and not an asset. So, forget Congress. It is a spent force and is destined to go into a further decline, anyway.
Hello Mumbai :
What could be the ruling philosophy of the ‘Third Front’?
Hemant M Shah :
In my opinion, ‘Co-operative Federalism’ could be one such rallying point. In the last 70 years, several knowledgeable and well-meaning persons have lamented the lack of ‘real’ federalism in our polity and the regional parties do have a genuinen grouse that the Central Government ignores legitimate claims of the States. Short of amending the Constitution (which can be too messy), there are several ways in which the severity of the centralizing features of our constitution can be reduced and a ‘working arrangement’ can be devised, whereby there is greater devolution of powers to the States. GST is one example of such a working arrangement, although BJP did not really mean to structure GST Council in that fashion, on the principles of co-operative federalism. It happened by force of circumstances, mainly the need to get the legislation passed. Third Front can creatively work on that momentum, instead of bashing BJP in the election-campaigns by calling it ‘Gabbar Singh Tax’.
By virtue of 73rd and 74th Amendments, the Panchayat Raj Institutions came into prominence but somehow, the process stopped there. The State Governments were largely opposed to shading any of their powers in favour of the PRIs. Third Front could address the issue and correct the imbalance. They would have nothing to lose – many of them are not running the State Governments! And in the States where they are in power, they can get some much-needed mileage by devolving more powers to the PRIs.
What is your View about Congress President Rahul Gandhi ? and his stand on Secularism?
Secularism could be another common thread. Rahul Gandhi’s limited vision of secularism may not go beyond periodic visits to temples and Gurudwaras but the non-congress parties do have more workable ideas on the subject. All said and done, BJP is not really a darling of the religious minorities, dalits and adivasis. The member-parties of the proposed ‘Third Front’ may be able to build bridges with these estranged sections of the society in their respective States.
Parties of the Third Front can also show better gender sensitivity and some of the parties like NCP have a proven track record in that respect.
The debates over ‘intolerance’ and ‘freedom of expression’ did not go beyond being ‘storms in the tea-cup’. Let us admit that the Opposition parties failed to make them important issues in the election campaigns, although, these issues are important from the point of survival of liberal democracy in India. Third Front can champion these causes and turn them into vote-catching ideas.
Do you think Third Front is perfect choice of Indian people ?
For the present, the Third Front would not have to face the embarrassment of not being able to project a ‘non- Modi face for PM’. They can concentrate on forming a strategic alliance, not for capturing power at the Centre but for the limited purpose of ‘floor-management’ in the parliament. There can evolve a common agenda and a core strategy. They can use their lung-power for some creative advocacy of their core philosophy before every forum, even press some progressive legislation in the parliament and take credit for the same. They can reorganize their party-structures, giving more representation to the sections of the society that they plan to win over.
There are plenty of opportunities for fighting local elections. Their manifestos can reflect the core ideology of the Third Front and in addition, address some of the local issues. In short, they must adopt a ‘bottom-up’ approach.
Hello Mumbai News : Thank you very much Hemant Bhai giving us your precious time on Phone and you discussed indian politics with us.
Hemant M Shah :
Thank you Hello Mumbai Team .It’s my pleasure.
