JP veteran LK Advani on Sunday kicked off a debate on next general elections saying that the Lok Sabha polls will be proved “worst” for the Congress in its history since 1952. “People generally believe that for the Congress party, the worst phase in so far as Lok Sabha results are
concerned, were the post-Emergency elections of 1977. It would not at all be surprising if the next Lok Sabha elections yield a result which for the Congress may prove to be the worst in its history since 1952,” Advani said in his latest blog.
He said speculations are on these days about general elections, scheduled to take place in 2014.
Advani said two senior cabinet ministers, during dinner hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for former President Pratibha Patil last month, expressed that in next Lok Sabha polls, neither the Congress nor the BJP may be able to forge an alliance which has a clear majority in the lower house of Parliament.
The ministers also said the Third Front is likely to form the next government which will be extremely “harmful” not only for the stability of Indian politics but also for national interests.
“The shape which national polity has acquired in the past two and a half decades makes it practically impossible for any government to be formed in New Delhi which does not have the support either of the Congress or of the BJP. A third front government, therefore, can be ruled out,” Advani said.
The BJP patriach added that a non-Congress and non-BJP Prime Minister heading a government supported by one of these two principal parties is however feasible.
“This has happened in the past also. But, in the Prime Ministership of Charan Singh, Chandrashekharji, Deve Gowdaji and Inder Kumar ji Gujral (all supported by Congress) as also of Vishwanath Pratap Singhji (supported by BJP) have shown, such governments have never lasted long,” he said.
Advani further said there has been stability at the Centre only when the government has had either a Congress or a BJP Prime Minister.
But, Advani said, “unfortunately”, the two governments since 2004 – UPA I and UPA II have both been “so badly mismanaged that the current state of anxiety in the ruling establishment is quite understandable.”
“Soothsayers are not wanting who predict that it may be the first time when the Congress party’s score sinks to just two digits, that is, less than one hundred!” he said.
Advani said the Congress’ “miserable performance” in Rae Bareilly and Amethi in the recent Assembly polls and its “dismal” record in the Corporation elections in the Uttar Pradesh are clear indices of the party’s “collapsing fortunes”.
“So far as the BJP is concerned, the bungling in Karnataka notwithstanding, all recent public opinion surveys clearly reveal that the principal beneficiary of the Congress Party’s fast eroding reputation continues to be the BJP” Advani added.
Advani alleged that the Manmohan Singh government has failed to take along with the government even its allies.
“The UPA II has had one aide, however, who may not be a political aide but who has been so invaluable for it to manage these difficult allies that I have often described it as the Congress Party’s most dependable ally. If the Congress has successfully avoided a Lok Sabha poll till now it is only because of this alliance partner the CBI!” he added.
–UNi