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Friday, May 29, 2009 6:23:06 AM
India Election Results a Mature Verdict
Siddarth Srivastava .. 20 May 2009
World Politics Review
NEW DELHI -- The unexpected landslide victory of the Congress Party in India's general elections has unshackled the incoming government from the tricky task of managing its earlier coalition for political survival, especially the rabidly anti-American Left parties.
There is little doubt that the team of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, all-powerful Congress party president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi -- who led the election campaign -- will look to firm up some of their earlier aims, given the near-majority and stability that the party and its allies now command.
In fact, the new government can no longer offer excuses for not delivering on its promises -- whether in pushing for further economic reforms, building infrastructure, implementing security measures and diplomatic initiatives, and developing education and healthcare frameworks that benefit all.
If the election results deliver a message, it is that the people of India are looking to their political
representatives for a focused national policy that promotes development and provides for stable government.
It represents a mature verdict that sidelines regional parties with limited and parochial notions about national issues, and blunts the emergence of regional satraps -- such as Mayawati of Uttar Pradesh -- who ride on caste politics. At the same time, Indian voters rewarded leaders and parties -- in states such as Bihar, Delhi and Orissa -- that have provided corruption-free, pro-growth governance.
With expectations so high, Congress cannot afford to be complacent.
Given such a mandate, India's foreign policy is likely to reflect domestic concerns and, in particular, Indians' aspirations for a better life. That means defusing conflict scenarios with Pakistan that could set back business and economic prospects, and ensuring that the derailed peace process gathers momentum -- even while security issues are not ignored.
India's experience of terror, most recently in last November's Mumbai attacks, should translate into support for U.S. efforts in Afghanistan and Pakistan -- although without direct involvement in the targeting of terror camps and cells across the border, as has been debated intensely in the aftermath of Mumbai. Ideas such as "hot pursuit" cross-border strikes and the bombing of terror camps in Pakistan will be shelved, as New Delhi will seek to instead deflect global pressure onto Islamabad to take on Pakistan-based terror groups.
In this context, the U.S. will emerge as a crucial partner, with a consensus among both the national
parties -- Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party -- that India needs to engage with Washington closely.
With the exit of the political left, the U.S. presence in India's defense and nuclear energy industries, among others, will rise. For its part, New Delhi will lobby on behalf of India's powerful software sector, and try to use the big contracts it can dangle, especially in defense, as leverage against some of the anti-outsourcing rhetoric gathering steam in Washington.
On a regional level, Washington will look to further back India to dilute the growing influence of China. Given its strategic and financial muscle, the U.S. will exercise increased leverage as the vanquished left-wing parties' anti-American impact on foreign policy vanishes.
This, however, does not mean that Washington will enjoy an open field in terms of deals and contracts, given the competition from countries such as France, Russia, Israel, Britain and Sweden. In fact, India's foreign policy in the last few years has purposefully pursued a balance among bilateral partnerships.
The election's other significant storyline concerns the Indian province of Jammu and Kashmir, the site of militant violence and a separatist campaign. Elections in J&K have always been a fearful prospect, due to calls to boycott voting by militants and separatists, as well as actual attacks on voters and the voting process.
Participation in what is termed "India-held elections" by separatist parties has been a much-debated topic. Anti-
India political parties have often boycotted the democratic process, and voter turnout has also been quite varied.
Currently, the J&K government is led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who heads the coalition between his National Conference (NC) party and Congress. Abdullah's good personal relations with Rahul Gandhi have reaped electoral benefits for both parties. Unlike the separatists, the NC has a history of backing the Indian government for armed action against insurgency, and has been urging New Delhi to resume the peace process with Pakistan, derailed after the Mumbai terror attacks.
The separatists, meanwhile, organize themselves under the umbrella of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference. They have so far chosen to remain out of the electoral process, although major differences have been cropping up. With their calls for freedom (azaadi) for Kashmir enjoying less traction, and with a new generation of local leadership under Omar and others -- such as Mehbooba Mufti -- focusing on development, tourism and growth, the separatists increasingly fear the risk of political isolation.
A new twist in this election was thus Sajjad Lone, a prominent 42-year-old separatist leader who contested
the polls. Though Lone lost, the symbolism of his political participation will not be overlooked in a hurry.
With India on the threshold of global power status, the Congress party has been given a mandate to perform. The new government has its task cut out for it. How it addresses the challenges that lie ahead will determine the course of India's polity, its economy and its role in the global arena.
Siddharth Srivastava is a New Delhi-based journalist covering foreign and strategic affairs, security, politics,
defense, business and lifestyle issues. He has been a correspondent for the Times of India and is widely
published in newspapers and magazines in Asia, Europe and America. His Web site can be found here.
http://siddharthsrivastava.spaces.live.com/
Photo: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (Agência Brasil photo by Ricardo
Stuckert, licensed under the Creative Commons License Attribution 2.5 Brazil).
http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/article.aspx?id=3781
Siddarth Srivastava .. 20 May 2009
World Politics Review
NEW DELHI -- The unexpected landslide victory of the Congress Party in India's general elections has unshackled the incoming government from the tricky task of managing its earlier coalition for political survival, especially the rabidly anti-American Left parties.
There is little doubt that the team of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, all-powerful Congress party president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi -- who led the election campaign -- will look to firm up some of their earlier aims, given the near-majority and stability that the party and its allies now command.
In fact, the new government can no longer offer excuses for not delivering on its promises -- whether in pushing for further economic reforms, building infrastructure, implementing security measures and diplomatic initiatives, and developing education and healthcare frameworks that benefit all.
If the election results deliver a message, it is that the people of India are looking to their political
representatives for a focused national policy that promotes development and provides for stable government.
It represents a mature verdict that sidelines regional parties with limited and parochial notions about national issues, and blunts the emergence of regional satraps -- such as Mayawati of Uttar Pradesh -- who ride on caste politics. At the same time, Indian voters rewarded leaders and parties -- in states such as Bihar, Delhi and Orissa -- that have provided corruption-free, pro-growth governance.
With expectations so high, Congress cannot afford to be complacent.
Given such a mandate, India's foreign policy is likely to reflect domestic concerns and, in particular, Indians' aspirations for a better life. That means defusing conflict scenarios with Pakistan that could set back business and economic prospects, and ensuring that the derailed peace process gathers momentum -- even while security issues are not ignored.
India's experience of terror, most recently in last November's Mumbai attacks, should translate into support for U.S. efforts in Afghanistan and Pakistan -- although without direct involvement in the targeting of terror camps and cells across the border, as has been debated intensely in the aftermath of Mumbai. Ideas such as "hot pursuit" cross-border strikes and the bombing of terror camps in Pakistan will be shelved, as New Delhi will seek to instead deflect global pressure onto Islamabad to take on Pakistan-based terror groups.
In this context, the U.S. will emerge as a crucial partner, with a consensus among both the national
parties -- Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party -- that India needs to engage with Washington closely.
With the exit of the political left, the U.S. presence in India's defense and nuclear energy industries, among others, will rise. For its part, New Delhi will lobby on behalf of India's powerful software sector, and try to use the big contracts it can dangle, especially in defense, as leverage against some of the anti-outsourcing rhetoric gathering steam in Washington.
On a regional level, Washington will look to further back India to dilute the growing influence of China. Given its strategic and financial muscle, the U.S. will exercise increased leverage as the vanquished left-wing parties' anti-American impact on foreign policy vanishes.
This, however, does not mean that Washington will enjoy an open field in terms of deals and contracts, given the competition from countries such as France, Russia, Israel, Britain and Sweden. In fact, India's foreign policy in the last few years has purposefully pursued a balance among bilateral partnerships.
The election's other significant storyline concerns the Indian province of Jammu and Kashmir, the site of militant violence and a separatist campaign. Elections in J&K have always been a fearful prospect, due to calls to boycott voting by militants and separatists, as well as actual attacks on voters and the voting process.
Participation in what is termed "India-held elections" by separatist parties has been a much-debated topic. Anti-
India political parties have often boycotted the democratic process, and voter turnout has also been quite varied.
Currently, the J&K government is led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who heads the coalition between his National Conference (NC) party and Congress. Abdullah's good personal relations with Rahul Gandhi have reaped electoral benefits for both parties. Unlike the separatists, the NC has a history of backing the Indian government for armed action against insurgency, and has been urging New Delhi to resume the peace process with Pakistan, derailed after the Mumbai terror attacks.
The separatists, meanwhile, organize themselves under the umbrella of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference. They have so far chosen to remain out of the electoral process, although major differences have been cropping up. With their calls for freedom (azaadi) for Kashmir enjoying less traction, and with a new generation of local leadership under Omar and others -- such as Mehbooba Mufti -- focusing on development, tourism and growth, the separatists increasingly fear the risk of political isolation.
A new twist in this election was thus Sajjad Lone, a prominent 42-year-old separatist leader who contested
the polls. Though Lone lost, the symbolism of his political participation will not be overlooked in a hurry.
With India on the threshold of global power status, the Congress party has been given a mandate to perform. The new government has its task cut out for it. How it addresses the challenges that lie ahead will determine the course of India's polity, its economy and its role in the global arena.
Siddharth Srivastava is a New Delhi-based journalist covering foreign and strategic affairs, security, politics,
defense, business and lifestyle issues. He has been a correspondent for the Times of India and is widely
published in newspapers and magazines in Asia, Europe and America. His Web site can be found here.
http://siddharthsrivastava.spaces.live.com/
Photo: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (Agência Brasil photo by Ricardo
Stuckert, licensed under the Creative Commons License Attribution 2.5 Brazil).
http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/article.aspx?id=3781
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