Module 1- Overview

TOPICS TO BE COVERED

Two party & Multi party system- Notes given already in last semester

Coalition Politics- A coalition government is a cabinet of parliamentary government in which several parties cooperate. The usual reason given for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament. A coalition government might also be created in a time of national difficulty or crisis, for example during wartime, or economic crisis, to give a government the high degree of perceived political legitimacy, or [collective ideology] it desires whilst also playing a role in diminishing internal political strife. In such times, parties have formed all-party coalitions (national unity governments, grand coalitions). If a coalition collapses, a confidence vote is held or a motion of no confidence is taken.

Examples-

A. UPA- United Progressive Alliance. The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is a ruling coalition of center-left political parties heading the government of India. The coalition is led by theIndian National Congress (INC), which is currently the single largest political party in the Lok Sabha (the lower house of the parliament of India). ThePrime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh, and the Council of Ministers are drawn from members of the UPA. INC's President, Sonia Gandhi, serves as the Chairwoman of the UPA.

B. Parties under the UPA coalition

Indian National Congress  led by Sonia Gandhi (All India)

All India Trinamool Congress  led by Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal)

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam  led by M. Karunanidhi (Tamil Nadu)

Nationalist Congress Party  led by Sharad Pawar (Maharashtra)

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen

Indian Union Muslim League  led by E. Ahmed

Kerala Congress (Mani)  (Kerala) led by Jose. K. Mani

Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist)  led by Pravash Ghosh (WB)

Jammu & Kashmir National Conference  led by Farooq Abdullah (Jammu

& Kashmir)

Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik)  led by Babulal

Marandi (Jharkhand)

C. NDA- The   National Democratic Alliance   ( NDA ) is a centre-right coalition of political parties in India led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and had thirteen constituent parties at the time of its formation in 1998. Its convenor is Sharad Yadav, and its honorary chairman is former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Also representing the alliance are Sushma Swaraj, a former home minister; Arun Jaitley, leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha; and Karia Munda, the deputy speaker in the Lok Sabha.

Bhartiya Janata Party

Shiv Sena

Janata Dal (United)

Shiromani Akali Dal

Indian National Lok Dal

Rashtriya Lok Dal

Nagaland People's Front

Mizo National Front

D. THIRD FRONT

Third front, launched in March 2009, is a coalition of Left and major regional parties in India vowing to defeat the Congress-led UPA and the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA in general elections and form the union government. The formation was said to address the “country’s need for a new alternative.”

The parties that united to form the Third front are Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Communist Party of India, the Janata Dal (Secular), the Telugu Desam Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, the Revolutionary Socialist Party, the Forward Bloc, and the Janhit Congress Party of the former Haryana Chief Minister, Bhajan Lal.

Parliamentary Vs Presidential form of government- Notes already given in last semester

Federal & Unitary(Centralized)Governent- Notes already given in last semester

Criminalization of Politics- Notes already given in last semester Bad conduct of members during legislative sessions- Discussed in the

class. Refer to case studies like Cash for question, cash for vote, Women’s Reservation bill- All those situations when members behaved poorly while conduct of sessions.

Naxalism- Notes already given in last semester

Separatist- Separatism is the advocacy of a state of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, governmental or gender separation from the larger group. While it often refers to full political secession, separatist groups may seek nothing more than greater autonomy. Some groups refer to their organizing as independence, self-determination, partition or decolonization movements instead of, or in addition to, autonomist, separatist or secession movements. While some critics may equate separatism and religious segregation, racial segregation or sexual segregation, separatists argue that separation by choice is not the same as government-enforced segregation and may serve useful purposes.

Groups may have one or more motivations for separation,

emotional resentment of rival communities

protection from ethnic cleansing and genocide

justified resistance by victims of oppression, including denigration of

their language, culture or religion

propaganda by those who hope to gain politically from intergroup

conflict and hatred

the economic and political dominance of one group that does not share

power and privilege in an egalitarian fashion

economic motivations: seeking to end economic exploitation by more

powerful group or, conversely, to escape economic redistribution from a

richer to a poorer group

preservation of threatened religious, language or other cultural

tradition

destabilization from one separatist movement giving rise to others

geopolitical power vacuum from breakup of larger states or empires

continuing fragmentation as more and more states break up.

feeling that the perceived nation was added to the larger state by

illegitimate means

the perception that the state can no longer support one's own group or

has betrayed their interests

Types of separatist group

Religious

Ethnic

Racial

Gender

ALL THE BEST