From the very beginning, the no-confidence motion against the United Progressive Alliance government mooted by the Trinamool Congress was doomed to fail. A constituent of the UPA until recently, it was unrealistic for the Trinamool to have hoped the opposition would rally behind it. The Left parties, especially, saw the move as an opportunistic tactic designed to gain political mileage in West Bengal, where they too have high stakes. The main opposition, the Bharatiya Janata Party, realised that a no-trust motion would have had less chance of being carried through in the Lok Sabha than a resolution on the Foreign Direct Investment under Rule 184 entailing voting. For one, a no-trust move would have immediately prompted all the constituents and backers of the UPA to close ranks and ward off the threat to the government. But about FDI in multi-brand retail, many of the UPA partners such as the DMK hold strong reservations as do supporting parties such as the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party. Even those not keen on unseating the government might thus feel pressured to vote against the government on a resolution against FDI in retail, a politically contentious issue. For the BJP, the less ambitious course held out more hope. Without the prospect of an alliance in West Bengal, the principal opposition party would have sensed no advantage in sailing with the Trinamool on this issue. As the Trinamool attempt to move the motion failed for want of the requisite numbers, another motion of no-confidence will have to wait for at least six more months. But, in the calculations of the BJP and the Left parties, this is a better outcome than the government surviving a no-confidence motion and emerging stronger with claims of Parliament’s endorsement for its policies and programmes.
Sadly, the Trinamool does not seem to have learnt much from the fiasco. Eager to be in the spotlight, the party had decided to move a no-confidence motion without consulting others. Mamata Banerjee now claims the Trinamool’s failed effort exposes the opposition parties that did not support the motion, but this is hardly any consolation. Ms Banerjee was hoping to project the Trinamool as the prime mover of all things, but such short-sighted tactics showed up her party as hot-headed and tactless. Given the composition of the current Lok Sabha, an alternative to a Congress-led government is almost impossible. And parties such as the SP and the BSP do not want to be seen as helping the BJP even if they were to topple the UPA government. While the government might have to face some more embarrassing situations, its survival is not in question in the immediate future.
Keywords: UPA government, no-confidence motion, Trinamool Congress, Mamata Banerjee, FDI in multi-brand retail
When the Trinamool Congress decided to move the no-confidence motion in the parliament, toppling the government was not in the mind of Ms Banerjee. She knew just like everyone else that it was an impossible proposition to have a motion, that requires the support of at least 50 members, carry through with only 19 of their MPs especially when the opposition parties made their intention of not supporting it clear beforehand. The reason she persisted despite the chance of being humiliated is, she could not resist the temptation of projecting her party as 'different', as she always does, from the rest; as a party that is always bothered with issues that concern the aam admi. The fact that the CPI(M) did not extend their support indeed helped her cause. The TMC now has a lot to sell to the domestic audience, the people of West Bengal, who would hardly see through its design. For Ms Banerjee, it's 'Misson Accomplished'.
Truth is so so strongly against the ruling government that all parties
want to en cash itself as the mother and father of Truth. Without
networking,consultation,trust and coordination of minimum programme no
organisation can succeed today.
This is a surprising editorial.
Please Email the Editor