The erstwhile United Progressive Alliance (UPA) which ruled the India for 10 years under the leadership of congress. The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was formed in the year 2004. It was established as a coalition of several political parties in India, with the Indian National Congress being the leading party in the alliance. This alliance came into existence to contest the general elections held in 2004 and subsequently formed the government at the center with Dr. Manmohan Singh as the Prime Minister. Smt. Sonia Gandhi was the chairperson of UPA but she was denied to become prime minister of India due to stage managed opposition by the BJP in the name of her foreign origin. In the sequence of events, she become the de facto leader of the government, however, it was headed by Dr. Manmohan Singh who is considered as the titular head of the government as the decision making of the government rests with 10, Janpath. The second tenure of the Manmohan Singh government was plagued by the widespread corruption. Some of the notable corruption scandals and allegations during this period included; 2G Spectrum Scam: One of the most significant corruption scandals during this time was the 2G spectrum allocation scam. It was alleged that there were irregularities in the allocation of 2G spectrum licenses, causing a huge loss to the government. Several politicians and corporate figures were implicated in this scandal. Coalgate Scandal: The Coalgate scandal pertained to alleged irregularities in the allocation of coal blocks to private companies. It was alleged that coal blocks were allocated without competitive bidding, resulting in potential losses to the government. Commonwealth Games Scam: The Commonwealth Games held in Delhi in 2010 were marred by allegations of corruption and financial irregularities. There were accusations of inflated costs and embezzlement of funds related to the event. Adarsh Housing Society Scam: This scandal revolved around a housing society in Mumbai where flats meant for war widows and veterans were allegedly allocated to politicians, bureaucrats, and military officers who were not eligible. Besides it, numerous other scandals and scams occurred and because of those government lost its credibility.
It’s important to note that these allegations and charges led to investigations and legal proceedings. Dr. Manmohan Singh and his government faced criticism for these corruption scandals, although he himself was not directly implicated in any of them. The Indian political landscape is complex, and perceptions of corruption can vary widely depending on one’s political perspective.
The BJP, the principal opposition party formed an alternative alliance in the name of NDA and successfully destabilise the UPA in the 2014 general elections. Within the BJP, the leadership of the party was taken from Sh. Lal Krishan Advani who was the champion of “Hindutva preposition” but he was no more favourite of RSS dispensation. Moreover, the other significant leader of the BJP, Sh. Nitin Gadkari who was the president of the party succumbed to the pressure mounted upon him to shun the presidentship on the alleged charges of corruption and financial improprieties. The blue eyed boy of RSS, Sh. Narender Modi, then Chief Minister of Gujrat was given the rein to lead the party despite the fact that his name was associated with Muslim carnage post Godhra in year 2002. Along with his trusted lieutenant, Sh. Amit Shah, a formidable combination within BJP, rules the roost not only in the party but also of government. During the two terms as Prime Minister of India, Sh. Narendra Modi was able to sideline all the towering and influential leaders of the BJP and besides it, he become the most popular leader of the Indian political system after Smt. Indira Gandhi. The phenomenonal rise of Sh. Narendra Modi has left a little space for the others leaders both within his party and opposition echelons.
The present day government under Narendra Modi is under severe criticism from the opposition on economic issues, farm laws, lack of parliamentary debate, freedom of speech and dissent, misuse of central agencies particularly the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Electoral Funding and Transparency and handling of the economic affairs during and post Covid-19. Besides it, the more virulent and scathing allegation against him is for favour or preferential treatment towards select industrial groups including Adani and Reliance group. There have been allegations that the Modi government has favoured the Adani Group in various ways, including awarding infrastructure projects and allowing for the expansion of their business interests. Critics have raised concerns about the transparency and fairness of these dealings.Similarly, there have been allegations of close ties between the government and Reliance Industries, particularly led by Mukesh Ambani. These allegations have included issues related to the telecom sector, natural gas exploration, and other business ventures.
Interestingly, Sh. Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister of Bihar has broken his ties with NDA and taken a lead to unite the opposition parties. His consistent efforts resulted in bringing 28 political parties together to constitute the India National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). The new alliance is shaping well despite inherent contradictions and diverse and conflicting political interests of the political parties within this new conglomerate. It’ll be interesting to see how congress will manage with AAP in Punjab and Delhi, what would be the consequences in Begal between Ms. Mamta Banerjee and left, how will congress go with left in Kerala and numerous so conflicting permutations. On the other hand, BJP has burgled into Shiv Sena and NCP and would leave nothing at chance to dent any of the opposition party.
New surprise has been thrown by the ruling alliance in announcement to hold special session of parliament from 18-22 September, catching the opposition unawares. The proposed session might bring something stark and unusual, aims at to destabilise the unity of opposition or weaken it by all possible political tantrums propounded by the BJP. But surely, the coming election would not be a cakewalk for the NDA and particularly for BJP as anti incumbency of 10 years and numerous issues of socio-political and economic nature are posing a threat. Moreover, the postion of the Prime Minster is not the same as that was in 2014 or 2019. Let’s see in which direction winds blow. How the new alliance changes the course of Indian polity in coming months!
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