As the election results are nearing, opposition parties have been scrambling in the hope of seeing NDA not getting a majority in the 2019 general election. Different parties have been coming up with bizarre formulas to create a coalition government at the centre. The most bizarre of these is the scheme proposed by Aam Aadmi Party leader, Sanjay Singh.
https://twitter.com/SanjayM22502793/status/1128836077400207360
Sanjay Singh has proposed that the coalition government formed post elections should have 5 Prime Ministers one for each year in the 5 year term. Sanjay Singh further adds that the PM’s would be selected from the parties on the basis of the decreasing order of seats won by them i.e. the party with the highest number of seats would get the first chance, then the party with the second most seats and so on.
This overly ambitious and arbitrary formula by Sanjay Singh might even be successful in finding support in the opposition camp which is already struggling against the BJP. With no ideological basis and based solely on power politics this scheme by the AAP leader is sure to send waves of hope to many leaders who have been dreaming of taking on the top post for long. If this hypothetical scenario plays out it will surely be one of the most turbulent time in Indian politics. The thought of 5 likely PM’s is enough to send shivers down the spine of various political analysts who have witnessed the colossal failures of such formulas of government formation based solely on power politics. Looking at the trends the 5 lucky contenders to get a chance to fulfill their desire of sitting on the throne might be:
Rahul Gandhi:
Rahul Gandhi has been trying hard to revive the Congress from its embarrassing defeat in the 2104 general election. The grand old party following the huge anti corruption sentiment in the nation was reduced to just 44 seats in the Lok Sabha lowest in its history. However if this highly ambitious scenario plays out then Rahul Gandhi’s one year term is highly likely be a reiteration of the reasons for which the nation had out rightly rejected the Congress in 2014. Soaked in multiple corruption scandals the Congress term from 2004 to 2014 saw a huge anti-Congress wave which had sustained in several state elections that followed. Even the marginal victory in Madhya Pradesh has turned over Congress’ head with several corruption allegations surfacing on associates and relatives of Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath.
Rahul Gandhi’s term is sure to revive the long followed trend of appeasement of the second largest majority which was replaced by holistic policies during the PM Modi regime. Rahul Gandhi’s term might also see abnormal developments with loads of corruption cases filed against the Gandhi- Vadra family. Terror incidents might also see a spike under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi as is evident from the lack luster attitude of Congress during the last term which saw a huge increase in terror incidents. The perpetually rejected theory of ‘Hindu Terror’ might also see a push from the hands of the likes of Digvijaya Singh and Communist proxies of Congress. Rahul Gandhi’s one year term is sure to end all the doubts about the survival of the Congress in the future and also clear out the hype that has been built around the sanctity of the Gandhi –Vadra family.
Mamata Banerjee:
The one year term of Mamata Banerjee is sure to witness sharp deterioration in the law and order situation in the nation. West Bengal under the rule of Mamata Banerjee has been witnessing the worst law and order situation in the state; elections have also not been spared of TMC- led violence under the patronage of the West Bengal government. Mamata’s term might also see a barrage of policies favoring illegal immigrants in West Bengal and in the neighboring north eastern states. Mamata’s opposition of the NRC also points towards the same. NRC which aims at identifying illegal migrants, a majority of which are Muslim migrants from the neighboring nations of Bangladesh and Myanmar, has been facing stiff resistance from the TMC as many believe that Mamata views these Illegal migrants as potential vote banks. Several instances of these illegal migrants getting formal identification cards from the state government have also surfaced.
Mamata Banerjee’s term will also surely witness a sharp fall in investment by domestic and international players in the manufacturing industrial complex, as Mamata’s history in the Tata motors case is still fresh in the minds of the business community. Mamata Banerjee’s term might also see a number of restrictions being placed on the celebration of Hindu festivals, which is evident from the steps taken by the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal against celebrations of Durga Puja and Ram Navami. This one year under Mamata Banerjee would also sure to be recorded as another dark period in Indian history for the freedom of expression after the imposition of emergency by Indira Gandhi.
Mayawati:
Mayawati has been one of the oldest of hopefuls to sit on the PM’s chair in India. If this fallacious scheme by Sanjay Singh works out, it will sure be a treat for Mayawati. However, Mayawati with her history of taking part in coalition government is sure to meet the apprehensive eye of other coalition partners. Mayawati has been notorious in the past for pulling out the support after the party has met its political ends, this conduct on part of BSP chief is further set to destabilize the coalition if it comes to a highly unlikely existence.
Symbolism is also sure to further eat into the public funds under Mayawati’s tenure .Mayawati was under fire when she has spent thousands of crores of Indian taxpayers money on gardens with her statues. Corruption is also poised to rise under Mayawati’s rule. Akhilesh Yadav who has been supporting Mayawati’s ambitions might also face a tough situation in accommodating political ambitions within his own party in the short term of 1 year. The historic rivalry between the two parties is also sure to prove a roadblock in this 5 year 5 PM scheme.
Sharad Pawar:
The NCP patriarch has also been a longstanding hopeful in the fray for Prime Ministers post. His term as the Prime Minister is sure to bring back the memories of the huge scandals under his leadership as the Maharashtra Chief Minister. Sharad Pawar tenure will also witness a huge upsurge in the appointments of personal associates and family members to important public offices.
Sharad Pawar is considered to be a shrewd politician, however maintaining an alliance of this nature will be an uphill task for the 78 year old leader. Sharad Pawar had also recently made unsuccessful attempts to forge an alliance between AAP and Congress in Delhi which is indicative of the cleavages which might widen during the life of this utopian coalition government.
Chandrababu Naidu:
With his continually receding popularity N. Chandrababu Naidu will surely be the luckiest of the lot to sit on the PM’s chair. With his meek record of performance as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh , Chandrababu Naidu’s term as the PM is also poised to be a highly efficient one laden with over ambitious promises like which he made for Amravati in Andhra Pradesh.
- Chandrababu Naidu, who is also expected to lose the CM’s chair to YSR chief, has been in the public crosshair number times for corruption scandals. Chandrababu Naidu’s term is also sure to ramp up the appeasement of second largest majority to a high level.
Sanjay Singh and his formula of 5 years 5 PMs is also sure to spell economic doom for the nation. Whether it be Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Mayawati, Sharad Pawar or N. Chandrababu Naidu, they all have varied economic philosophies if any. A nation as big as India, experiencing an economic policy shock every year will surely be impacted detrimentally on both the micro and macro scale. This ‘scheme’ will also witness unprecedented levels of dynastism crippling the Indian government. With nephews, sons, brothers etc. of these political leaders being parachuted into important public offices ultimately pushing India’s progress back by decades. The 2019 general elections have been seeing the opposition camp resorting to every desperate tactic be it indulging in violence or blatantly lying, and his fallacious scheme of 5 year 5 PM by AAP’s Sanjay Singh just adds to this desperation. This ‘5 years 5 PMs’ scheme though completely delusive like Sanjay Singh, the man who proposed it, is sure to provide more creative opportunities in satirical arts.