"Weak" Creates History whilst the strong is consigned to "History"

Singh is King .

As the dust settles, we see the 200 mark up for Congress. None would have believed this just 24 hours back! The 15th Lok Sabha has certainly stirred the voter. And also the political parties. Suddenly we find the word introspection flowing from every tongue! BJP and the Left need to introspect their disaster whilst the Congress needs to understand why this windfall!! Dr.Singh goes in the annals of history as only the second Prime Minister to get re-elected for consecutive terms after a full first term. So much for a weak Prime Minister!
16th of May goes down in Indian History as the day when the Indian Politics has been rewritten. The Indian voter has woken up to the realities of today. He braved the harsh climate only to usher in a clinical revolution. And he did this silently and efficiently. It had to happen this way. The last five years saw the main party struggling for effective governance due to the heavy baggage of the allies. Each pulling it tangent to the other thus giving little room for proper movement. It was more like "One step forward...one step backward...one step sideways. The Left played the role of a belligerent bully though they did some good too. But in a nutshell, they did more harm than good. They also became arrogant and boisterous and took the nation for granted. Today they stand decimated loosing more than half their seats, but Prakash Karat shows little signs of regret, remorse and shame.
I have always maintained that the regional parties have a different agenda and normally collides with the larger national agenda. I believe that the two must be kept separate in order to maximize effective management at both the levels. I have advocated that the voter needs to be more mature. I wrote in my blog on the 10th of March, “ And yes, do look at the role at the centre played by the regional parties in the past. Have they been an asset or a hurdle? Each demanding their own pound of flesh at just the wrong time. Would it be better to have a single large party in the center or a coalition of just two or three…a badly fractured mandate normally ushers instability. Let us avoid this at all costs. We all know if multiple parties are involved in government formation, then decision making is hampered and is of poor quality. We should have distinct benchmarks for legislative and parliament elections. We should not be averse to vote for one party at the centre and another in the state…” I stand vindicated today as the tally of almost ALL the regional parties ahs taken a beating.
The voter has rejected the smaller parties and has actually voted for Congress and the BJP-the two national parties. The sign is good as policies and programs can be planned better. Regional parties need to concentrate in their specific areas and focus on development. I had written about Mayawati also and predicted what struck her on the 16th! Her arrogance and over confidence of her own so called social engineering left her fumbling as even the Congress breezed past her.
The voter has given the benefit of doubt and felt the Congress could not deliver due to the heavily fractured mandate of 2004. The verdict now is a confirmation that India wants stability - the resurgence of Congress in Uttar Pradesh confirms this. The voter has given the mandate to the Congress and will also hold it accountable. The onus now lies squarely on the door of Congress. Indian voter has given a low priority of other issues like the price rise, terrorism and so on. The mandate is for Dr Man Mohan Singh to finish the unfinished agenda. The voter has decided that Dr Singh is a strong leader who is capable of delivering.
And yes, the voter will also demand results-the price for the faith placed. Make no mistake, this is a mandate for finishing the unfinished agenda. People say it reflects secularism. I do not agree. BJP has lost some seats but has also shown Varun Gandhi and Menaka Gandhi winning.