COALITION GOVERNMENTS IN INDIA: AN EVALUATION OF UNITED PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE GOVERNMENT -1 SUBMITT&O )N {^/tRTlACIULFILLMEN liREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF (i^i m ^ 3n » POLITICAL SCIENCE By AgM^ QAZI Under the Supervision of Dr. IFTEKHAR AHEMMED (ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR) DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY AUGARH (INDIA) 2014 2 4 NCV 2014 DS4380 il Q © ® © ® e Dr. IFTEKHARAHEMMED Telephones: Associate Professor Chairman: 0571-2^01720 DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AMUPABX: 700916/7000920-21-22 Aligarh Muslim University Chairman: 1561 Aligarh - 202002 Office: 1560 <Date: •>^/ij_^l^^^9 Certificate '> . Tliis is io certify tHat^tHe (Dissertation *CoaQ.tion governments in India: Jin ^abuUion of Vnited (Progressive At^nce government - I" Sy !Wr. Mudam' Jifimad Qizi is the originaC researcd wor^ of the candidate, and is suitaMe for submission as the partiaCfidfittmentfor the award of the (Degree of Master of (PhUosophy in (PoCiticaCScienc^. ^i } tg O' /• yr-5S Dr. Iftekhar Ahemmed (Supervisor) DECLARATION I hereby declare that the dissertation "Coalition Governments in India: An Evaluation of United Progressive Alliance Government-I" submitted for the award of the degree of Master of Philosophy in the Department of Political Science is based on my original research work and the dissertation has not been presented for any other degree of this University or any other University or Institution and that all sources used in this work have been thoroughly acknowledged. Place: A w^ vJ /NUcv^^^ MudaHfAhmad Qazi Date: 9o | ) o | >o \<^ (Enrol. No: GH-1692) CONTENTS Page No. Acknowledgement List of Tables Abbreviations ni - IV Chapter -1 Introduction 1-12 Chapter - II Evolution of Coalition Politics in India 13- 38 Chapter- III Lok Sabha Election 2004 and the Formation 39 - 71 of United Progressive Alliance Government (UPA-I) Chapter - IV Domestic Policies of UPA -1 Government 72-107 Chapter - V Foreign Policy of UPA -1 Government 108 - 134 Chapter - VI Conclusion 135-142 Bibliography 143 -153 Appendix -1 Acknowledgement (Behind every success there is certainty an unseen power of Almighty, But an aim is etemaf condition of success which is attainaSCe at perfection in things 6y those who perverse with the association of their predecessors, teachers, famiCy memSers and friends. With great sense of gratitude I would Ci^ to pour down my owe and wholehearted gratefulness to my esteemed mentor and supervisor <Dr Ifte^har ^hemmed (Associate (Professor), (Department of (PoCiticaCScience, JlCigarh MusRm University, ^Rgarh, for his ^nd support, precious constructive guidance, constant encouragement, continuous inspiration, sincere criticism, enthusiasm, vaCuaBCe suggestions, authentic ideas and generous efforts in ma^ng this wor^a success. I am also than^uC to our revered Chairman, (Prof Arif Harmed, (Department of (PoCiticaCScience, JiCigarh !MusCim Vniversity, JlCigcirh, for his cooperation in this wor^ I convey my than^ to aCC the teachers of the department, whose vaCuaSle guidance and inspiration heCpedme consideraSCy in the pursuit of my wor^ I convey my than^ to the Staff memSers of MauCana Azad LiSrary, ACigarh MusCim Vniversity, JiCigarh and Jawahar LaC !Nehru Vniversity, ^Niew (DeChi I am aCso than^uCto Mr. Jisif LiSerian, (Research Seminar of the (Department, for his cooperation. I shall 6e faiCing in my duty if I do not record appreciation for the patience, presentence and support ofmyfamiCy memSers, my father Mohd. MaqSooCQazi, my mother Sara (Banu, Brothers (JidiC and Qowher), sisters (Jahaza and ^hi) and other relatives. The cherished and smiCing memories of my CittCe nephew, iBrahim have Been aCways there. I have sincere than^ to my seniors of the department, Aij(iz (Bhai, Irfan (Bhai, Javeed (Bhai, Mehraj (Bhai for their vaCuaBCe suggestions and encouragement during the entire period of research. In the Cast But not Ceast I am greatCy and whoCeheartedCy than^C to my intimate friends SuhaiC, (Rflmiz, MuzammiC, Ishfaq, Zahid, Waseem, Mohsin, Jlnees, Tirdous, Imtiyaz and Shahnawaz for their co-operation and support in completing this wor^ MudasirAhmad Qazi LIST OF TABLES Table Description Page No. No. 1.1 Seats won by various political parties in the 1989 Lok Sabha 23 elections 1.2 Seats won by various political parties in the 1996 Lok Sabha 27 elections 1.3 Seats won by various political parties in the 1998 Lok Sabha 30 elections 1.4 Seats won by various political parties in the 1999 Lok Sabha 32 elections 1.5 Seats won by various political parties in the 2004 Lok Sabha 42 elections LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AGP Assam Gana Parishad AIADMK All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagom AICC All India Congress Committee BJD Biju Janata Dal BJP Bharatiya Janata Party BLD Bharatiya Lok Dal BSP Bahujan Samaj Party CFD Congress for Democracy Congress (I) Congress (Indira) Congress (O) Congress (Organization) Congress (R) Congress (Ruling) CPI (M) Communist Party of India (Marxist) CPI (M-L) Communist Party of India (Marxist - Leninist) CPI Communist Party of India DMK Dravida Munnetra Kazhagom FB Forward Bloc HVP Haryana Vikas Party IAEA International Atomic Energy Association INDF Indian National Democratic Front INLD Indian National Lok Dal lUML Indian Union Muslim League JD(S) Janata Dal (Secular) JD(U) Janata Dal (United) JP Janata Party KC(M) Kerala Congress (Mani) LF Left Front MDMK Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagom MPVC Madhya Pradesh Vikas Congress MSDP Multi Sectoral Development Programme NAC National Advisory Council NAG National Agenda for Governance NC National Conference III NCMP - National Common Minimum Programme NCP - Nationalist Congress Party NDA - National Democratic Alliance NDP - National Democratic Party NF - National Front PDP - Peoples Democratic Party PEPSU - Patiala and east Pimjab States Union PMK - Pattali Makkal Katchi PSP - Praja Socialist Party PULF - People's United Left Front RJD - Rashtriya Janata Dal RLD - Rashtriya Lok Dal RSS - Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh SAD - Shirmani Akali Dal SP - Samajwadi Party SRP - Socialist Republican Party SS - Shiva Sena SSP - Samyukta Socialist Party SVD - Samyukta Vidhayak Dal TDP - Telugu Desam Party TMC - Tamil Manila Congress TRC - Tamizhaka Rajeev Gandhi Congress TRS - Telengana Rashtriya Samiti UDF - United Democratic Front UF - United Front ULF - United Left front UN - United Nations US - United States VHP - Viswa Hindu Parishad IV © © ©s .p @.p K v Q ^ ® © ^g © ^ @ €3 ^ © Chapter -1 Introduction %. ®^"if . ® .... ... © Political parties are inevitable in a democracy. No free large country has been without them. They link the sovereign people to the legislature and executive. They are the most significant mechanisms in a democratic government. Infact, the working of any system of representative government is determined by nature of the political parties which operates it. Political parties and the party system in India have been greatly influenced by cultural diversity, social, ethnic, caste, community and religious pluralism, traditions of the nationalist movement and clashing ideological perspectives. As the framers of the Indian Constitution were aware about the pluralistic nature of Indian society, they preferred multi-party parliamentary democracy in India. Therefore, the framers of the Indian Constitution were aware of the plural nature of Indian society hence, preferred a multi-party parliamentary democracy. Although multi-party system was prevalent from the very beginning in Indian Republic but presence of the Congress as dominant party overshadowed the importance of other political parties both at the centre and in the states. Before the independence, the Congress spearheaded the national movement under which the people of different beliefs and backgrounds came together. The Sawraj Party, the Socialist Party and for a long time, even the Communist Party were within the Congress.' In short, the Congress Party acted as the umbrella party which was characterized by its consensual and coalitional nature. Therefore, this led scholars like Rajni Kothari and Morris Jones to characterize the party system of post-independence era as one-party dominance. Rajni Kothari says, "The Indian system can be described as a system of one party dominance, which it may be noted, is very different from what is generally known as a one party system. It is a competitive party system but one in which the competing parts play rather dissimilar roles."^The all embracing character of the Congress Party anchored the Indian party system and maintained stability of the political system. The domineering character of the Congress Party started to decline after the 1967 general election and the other political parties begin to assert themselves, and started to play a role in the formation of coalition governments at state level. The multi-party system got manifested particularly at state level but it had affected the behavior of political parties at central level as well. In a multi-party system political parties compete against each other for acquisition of power. In such a situation there are two possibilities; either a single party gets absolute majority and forms the government or of coalition government in case no party gets majority. So the coalition is a process in multi-party parliamentary democracy when no single political party secures majority or two more political parties unite to form the majority government in parliament or state legislature. Etymologically, speaking the word coalition has descended from the Latin word 'Coalitio' which means to go together or to grow together.