The Rediff Interview/R Venkataraman

'Any hotchpotch arrangement will be so unstable that economic development will become a casualty'

He has to?

I don't say he has to. He should. That is the Constitutional position if you follow the British Constitution. This question has not been settled in India. For instance, Chandra Shekhar was not defeated in the House, but after giving the resignation, he advised me to dissolve the House. I accepted the resignation but asked him to continue till further arrangements were made.

As far as the decision to dissolve the House (was concerned), I wanted some time to think. The question was whether his advice was binding on me or not. But there was another factor in that case. No other party was ready to form the government. Therefore I said, the prime minister recommended that the House be dissolved and that no other party was prepared to shoulder the responsibility of forming the government and dissolved the House.

So, in this changed scenario, what should the President do?

Constitutionally the President has to accept the advice of the prime minister if you follow the British Constitution. Ever since the days of Queen Anne who once refused to accept the advice of the prime minister, the prime minister's advice for dissolution has always been accepted.

As a senior citizen of India, as a former President, how do you assess the present day uncertainties?

I may be a pessimist now. I think nobody will be able to form a government and we are heading towards a general election. Any other hotchpotch arrangement will be so unstable that economic development will become a casualty. All the time they would be striving to survive so they will have no time to serve the people or the country.

Do you feel sad about the way the Congress, a party you were associated with, has behaved? The general public feel they acted very selfishly.

The motive in politics is self interest now. The days when people jumped into the freedom movement, sacrificing their career, properties, family, are all over. Today, politics is like any other profession. And everybody wants to come up in politics like everybody wants to come up in law, medicine, education, engineering etc.

Soon after the election, when I interviewed you, you told me that there was a halo around politicians who participated in the freedom struggle which is lacking in today's political leaders. You also told me that in such circumstances, the chances of any single party coming to power are very slim. Do you still feel so?

The chances are fewer. That's why I talked about coalition governments. But this 13-party hotch potch is not a real coalition. The constituent parties today assert their views against the government's decision. There is no feeling of joint responsibility.

Is it good for the country to have a coalition government formed after the election?

If you ask, what is ideal for the country, I would say, a two party system.

Will it happen?

It will not. Because the tendency among people to form splinter groups whenever there is a difference of opinion has become a habit. It was not as if earlier there was no difference of opinion, But the mere fact that there was some difference of opinion did not lead them to split the party and form another group. Today at the drop of a hat, you get out of the party and form another group.

Some political analysts are talking about a two party system featuring the BJP and Congress at the Centre in the future. Do you foresee anything of that sort?

I think this country will not elect a single party to power. There will a large number of splinter parties.

That means we will have to face this kind of situation quite often.

Yes, it will be the same.

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