Although the UPA government has become vulnerable after Mamata Banerjee withdrew support to it, the Opposition lacks courage to destabilise it and take over the reins (“If you can’t beat this government …” Sept. 26). The reason: all parties know well that at this juncture, it is impossible to run the government without some kind of economic reforms.
Moreover, the Opposition does not have the wherewithal to fight a mid-term poll. The best bet for it is to keep making noise against the government till the next general election.
V.S. Moosa,
Kochi
All political parties, including the UPA’s allies, are weary of it because of its involvement in scams and, now, the economic reforms it has introduced. But while they talk of mid-term polls, they also baulk at the idea of toppling the government for one reason or the other.
Whatever their reasons, the general perception is that many MPs are not confident of getting re-elected or their party’s performance in case of a mid-term poll. Therefore, they want the government to last till 2014.
Rukhsana Khan,
Lucknow
The article has rightly pointed to the compulsions of our political parties in avoiding a mid-term poll. While the BJP has its own problems, the Left parties cannot dislodge the UPA government because they do not have the numbers or trusted allies. The Congress is well aware of Mulayam Singh’s requirements.
While the government is trying to push the reforms agenda, parties like the SP and the BSP are pursuing their own agenda by keeping the UPA on tenterhooks. Sure, the government will survive as long as it keeps the SP and the BSP happy.
S. Gopal,
Kakinada
