The dark days of Emergency gave rise to a new type of politics in this country. Although the the constitution has the provision for the formation of coalition governments, nobody had ever imagined that one day we would be ruled by a myriad of parties, with the only aim of occupying the power corridors of this country. So the left and the right came together to hand the maverick Congress its first biggest defeat ever. Understandably the marriage did not last long and the government soon collapsed. But it started an era of coalition politics which is definately here to stay whether we like it or not.
So lets us analyze the constituents of todays ruling coalition.
1) Indian National Congress: The grand old party of the country, its leaders swear by the name of the Gandhi Family. The failed China policy of Nehru, which let to a lot of humiliation, or the "Garibi Hatao" policy of Mrs Gandhi, which eventually turned out to be "Amiri Htao", and ofcourse the Emergency, these are generally forgotten.
Surprisingly enough, it was the same party government which intiated economic reforms in this country. It is currently headed by a former Italian lady who also serves as the "proxy PM". The real PM of course is a taciturn, media shy, and one of the best economist of this country. PM-in-waiting Mr. Rahul Gandhi is probably one of the most eligible bachelors in this country today.
2)DMK: Don't worry about the full form, you will not be able to pronounce it anyways. It has become one of the most infamous political parties today. Mother, daughter, Son...everybody in the ruling family is believed to be corrupt. They have believed to have looted more than the british could have ever mustered. Two of its MP's are in jail and a third one is waiting to be put in.
3) TMC: Led by "DiDi", this party came of age in the last Lok Sabha elections, when it managed to pip the left in its bastion. A former member of the congress, she has served as the Railway Minister twice. Although she has done nothing substantial during these terms, she is believed to be a new hope in West Bengal. Understandably, her first move has been to change the name of the state. She loves to drive, just as she drove the NANO out of Bengal and has no compunctions shifting loyalties from the far right to the centre.
Apart from these main parties there are a couple of other parties too like the NCP. An offshoot of the congress, whose leaders refused to be led by some Italian lady, it is headed by Sharad Pawar. Apart from his regular job as the President of the ICC , he also has part time job as the Food and Agriculture Minister. People unfortunately blame him for droughts and rotten grains, but.....how much can a part time minister handle!!
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