Q & A with Bipin Chandra (Taken from NDTV Website)
Spandita, Delhi: , Delhi: If the Left can side with the BJP which according to them is anti-secular, why can't they jettison their long held anti-imperialist stance against the US?
Vikram Chandra: Well, that's the question many are putting to them. They have a deep seated ideological animosity to America and are arguing that they are not really siding with the BJP. But the question of even appearing to be on the same side as the BJP has created some rift within the Left already.
Preeti, Mumbai: Mumbai: Is the coalition government inherently unsuited for giving a consistent and stable governance to the country?
Vikram Chandra: Naturally, coalition governments are inherently somewhat unstable because of the need to balance so many different points of view. Having said that, the NDA government lasted its full term, and the UPA may well do the same. So perhaps our politicians are learning to play the juggling game quite well. It may not be the best thing for efficient governance, but some would say the same about democracy itself!
Sukhm, Mumbai: Cutting across political parties, should we really be asking anyone of them if they have anything to say for the present and future generation of India?
Vikram Chandra: We have heard some leaders trying to send a message for the youth - in particular that was the constituency that Rahul was trying to address.
Anutama, Delhi: Like the business world wherein every opportunity needs to be exploited with speed and aggression, does the trust vote usher in a similar genre in Indian politics?
Vikram Chandra: Unlikely! Politics will move slower than business - but then, that's true in most other countries as well.
Probhati, Kolkata: Should the UPA government fall, would the new government (caretaker or elected) be able to do anything on the main issue affecting the common man- inflation?
Vikram Chandra: Yes -- because caretaker governments are fully mandated to run the country and tackle problems. It has happened several times in the past as well -- such as with the NDA
Susmita, Delhi: Has the trust vote sideturned the core issue of the Indo-US nuclear deal?
Vikram Chandra: Actually, it is quite interesting how the UPA keeps trying to keep that as the central focus -witness the speeches of Rahul Gandhi and Laloo Yadav. But the opposition is trying to broaden their attack to a number of other issues, especially the BJP. I suspect they want to leave themselves with wriggle room for the future.
Ranjan Datta, Noida: Has Indian politics hit its ideological low with so much of opportunistic alliances and political volte-face?
Vikram Chandra: Well, sadly this is not the first time that we are seeing horse-trading or opportunistic alliances. But it's a bit tragic that issues of crucial national importance will be settled like this.
Anila, Delhi: For the common man like I stability has become the biggest question. And opportunists like Mayawati are making hay even with limited representation in Parliament. Why can't the bigger parties with some hand, even BJP and Congress, join hands to provide stability?
Vikram Chandra: An interesting suggestion that others have made. I doubt that the BJP and the Congress will ever formally join hands, not just because of the 'secularism' question, but also because both of them see themselves as the long term ruling party in India. However, what I think we need is closer cooperation between those parties on issues of national importance. For example, efforts should have been made to get a consensus on the nuclear deal between the two instead of all this political posturing
Neelesh, Perth, Australia: IT Took UPA merely 40 minuts to convince the SP to vote in favour of the deal.Why the same kind of transperancy/Suplimentry effort was not shown by UPA while dealing with Left?It could have saved all the buzzar going on right now....or perhaps the bazzar started in that 40 minuts....whats your thought on this?
Vikram Chandra: I don't think it was possible to easily the convince the Left on this. The UPA and the Left have actually been discussing this and trying to reach an agreement for a couple of years now; particularly for the last few months. I suspect the gulf was just too wide..
Senthil Kumar, Chennai: Dont you think we should abolish the system of Coalition Government ? There should be a Single Ruling Party, and which should be responsible for all happenings. No Pressure from Coalition Partners, No credit takings/givings. Atleast the government will be under no pressure to satisfy its partners and can work indepdently
Vikram Chandra: Hmmm. How would we do this?? It would require a total revamp of the Constitution, wouldn't it?
Wg Cdr(Retd) D Pal, Hyderabad: Why is the Govt not disclosing the N-deal agreement that it had planned with the IAEA. Debate on the deal details should be carried out between all political parties, and public opinion sought, based on which the Govt should have taken the decision.
Vikram Chandra: The agreement is public by now -- you can get a copy on the website. And to be fair, the details have now been debated for quite some time..
Monisha, Digboi: I have seen ,Sir ur comment be careful with your vote!!! But in a state where whole demography is changed with bangladeshi infiltration in north east, and the ruling political leader issues , voters identity card to the bangladeshi (VOTE bank population).You have no control over the political scenario -no control over state affairs either deforrestation or erosion of lands, land grabbing, poaching of wild animals,no job oppurtunity....in this scenario the disgusted youth takes up the arms and the learned people at centre call them separatist!!!Do you have any answers???
Vikram Chandra: Am afraid not! I wish I did.
Alok Joshi, Bhopal: if this deal is imprtant why cant they take a public mandate on this?
ultimately its the people of this coutry who has send them there.
why cant they tell the people wht exactly is this dael?
Vikram Chandra: Alok, in a sense the trust vote is a public mandate -- because it is asking the elected representatives of the people to back it. And, as I have said, the deal has been discussed at length already -- both in the media and in several committees.
Bharat Shah, ahmedabad: Congress has not at all put the efforts to take support of competent leaders of National party, BJP having identical views to large extent with Cong. party to get through the N-deal instead the incompetent opportunists poiticians are given importance leading to totally unfair tactists in Indian politics. Why does your channel not target Congress party to make them realise this fact in a large interest of the people?
Vikram Chandra: I certainly hope that the authorities will work overtime to ensure that there is full security for all nuclear reactors.
Boscof Dominic, Dubai: Will this deal in common man's language end the 4 hours of power cuts in my home town in future? If so, then I believe it is very clear who should survive this trust vote. Pls advice.
Vikram Chandra: That seems to be the point the government is making. Pranab Mukherjee was very clear in Parliament when he said that India has no way of making up its energy deficit without the deal and going down the nuclear route.
Uday, Hyderabad: Hi, will this political uncertainty affect the country’s economy? Does this nuclear deal give us good results for opportunities. If so explain me how?
Vikram Chandra: The nuclear deal by itself is not going to fix the country’s economy. Although as the Prime Minister said yesterday, and as everyone in Parliament said yesterday, this uncertainty is really not what we need now. Attention needs to be diverted to worrying about urgent problems- such as price rise. A nuclear deal according to the government is all about ending nuclear isolation.
Sameer Mankad, Ahmedabad: Isn’t this voting like an IPL match where members from rival nations play in a team for a cause (read money/power) ? Is there any more depth to this motion other than a showdown of egos?
Vikram Chandra: Obviously, all that has happened has left many people, perhaps correctly, worrying about the morals in India’s parliament. However, to be fair, it has to be said, that a majority of MPs aren’t voting just because of money and the things that they are getting.
Soumya, Delhi: If the government falls what will happen to the other policy decisions that are pending? Can a minority government take a decision on them? ex the sixth pay commission report or ban on steel imports etc.
Vikram Chandra: The simple answer is, that, yes, the minority government, as a caretaker, can take decisions if it wants to. The question will be how far does it want to push and which the issues are on which it feels it doesn’t have the moral authority to proceed on.
Sachin, Dubai: Is there any way to come out of this dirty coalition government politics in near future?
Vikram Chandra: Suggestions would be welcome!
Raashi Chauhan, Patna: If the UPA loses the trust vote, what is the likely political scenario?
Vikram Chandra: If the UPA loses the trust vote it’s almost certain that the elections will be held soon, perhaps to coincide with the assembly polls sometime in November. The other possibility that comes to my mind is a government perhaps headed by Mayawati and supported from outside by the BJP and the Left. However, the BJP has indicated that it will not be open to something like this.
Sumit, Mumbai: Has the media played a partisan role in the nuclear deal issue?
Vikram Chandra: I don’t think the media has played a partisan role. Infact media has played a very important role in laying the facts before the people and bringing information to everyone to help make up their minds. Yes, those who write opinion pieces have expressed personal views on the matter and most of their opinions are in favour of the deal.
JC Pathak, Bhubaneswar: Will the UPA get the numbers to win Trust Vote?
Vikram Chandra: Anyone’s guess at this point in time. Even five hours is a long time in the present political environment. At this moment it seems the UPA has an edge but there are still several hours to go.
S Jafri, Bangalore: Everyone, even your channel, is talking about shameful corruption of MPs taking and party offering crores of rupees. Can anything not be done as action against these corrupt persons?
Vikram Chandra: I don’t think what’s been happening is good for the Indian democracy but not really sure of what the best solution is. Ofcourse if it can be proven that people have taken money to change votes, then the law can take its own course. Other than that it is for the public to be more careful in deciding who they are voting for.
Radha, Mumbai: What effect does abstaining MPs have on the simple majority UPA needs?
Vikram Chandra: It has a major impact and this is infact could be a way for the UPA to get the numbers. It’s simple mathematics- to win the Trust Vote the UPA needs a majority of those present and voting. If everyone was present and voting, the UPA would have needed 271. But if say 10 opposition MPs abstain, then the UPA needs only 266. Mamata Banerjee has already announced that she will abstain from voting. The big question now is how many others will follow suit.
Jayant Menon, Chennai: What are Mayawati`s chances of becoming PM?
Vikram Chandra: Fairly bright, I would imagine. Mayawati has the good fortune of a committed voter base that she can transfer to other parties in any alliance. She is very unlikely to get a majority on her own in the next few years. It is possible to see her as a third front PM supported by the Left, Congress or the BJP at some point in the future.
