Is Modi cut out for leading a coalition ?
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: June 07, 2024 -

As things stand, it is clear that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to take oath for the third consecutive term in office on June 8.

This would make him only the second political leader in the history of India to secure a third consecutive term. Before him, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, a Congress stalwart of the freedom struggle who went on to become the first Prime Minister of the country, had done so by remaining in power uninterruptedly from 1947 until he passed away in 1964, which is a span of 16 years and 286 days, to be precise.

Whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be able to surpass the long political innings of Nehru is something to.be seen, but he being included in an elite list of Prime Ministers who have served the country for over 10 years itself is an occasion for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to celebrate and brag about since it has been challenging the legacy and contribution of the Indian National Congress (INC) and crying hoarse for a "Congress Mukt Bharat", even to the extent of ridiculously pointing finger at the Congress party for everything that has and is afflicting the country.

The manner in which the BJP huddled together all its partners in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and made hasty preparation for the installation of a coalition government at the centre after the people denied an absolute majority in the just concluded 18th Lok Sabha election gives the impression that the swearing in of Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister of the country for the third consecutive term is an opportunity that the saffron party could ill-afford to lose, especially in the light of the surging but still numerically weaker opposition INC-led Indian National Developmental Initiative Alliance (INDIA) trying to cobble up numbers and discussing possibilities of government formation as well.

Now that the opposition INDIA bloc has decided to stay away from the race of staking claim to form the new government, the BJP could take a sigh of relief as there is nothing on the path of Narendra Modi being sworn in as the Prime Minister of the country for the third consecutive term.

This is a great achievement not just for the BJP but also for the Indian democracy that provides equal space and opportunity to everyone including the son of a tea-seller to rise from his humble background to occupy the top executive post of the country, not just once, but thrice.

However, unlike in the last two terms, when the BJP had the numerical strength on its own to lead and steer course of the country, the third inning of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the leader of a coalition government is not likely to be joyride for sure.

As the success of a coalition government depends largely on accommodating the interests and aspirations of all its constituent units, whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has always insisted that only a big majority government can provide a strong and stable governance model, would be able to live up to the task laid out before him is a big question.

This question is becoming even more relevant today with almost all the major regional partners of the BJP-led NDA including Telegu Desam Party (TDP), Janata Dal-United (JDU), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Janata Dal.(Secular), Shiv Sena, etc., already demanding allotment of plump posts and ministerial berths even before the formation of the new government.

So, how a Prime Minister like Narendra Modi, who is used to giving order and not listen to his own Cabinet colleagues even at the time of taking some of the big and bold but often snap decisions, is going to navigate through the treacherous road of heading a coalition government with a bunch of regional allies some of whose wavering loyalties are well known is an interesting political development to watch out for in the days to come.