The BJP had many differences with several of its allies in the coalition, but these were all, in some way or the other, connected to policies. These differences, on urea prices, or on a Bengal package, were related to concerns which the alliance partners had about how specific policies would affect their support bases. In contrast, Jayalalitha's entire effort was concentrated on stalling the corruption cases against her, and while the BJP tried to appease her initially, it obviously refused to go the whole hog. This is heartening because it gives the signal that, after a point, it is not possible to subvert the country's institutions, in particular its judicial system. But while democracy has protected our institutions, it has failed to prevent the degeneration of our political ethos. The reasons given for the AIADMK's withdrawal of support,and the cynical manner in which the supposedly more responsible opposition parties responded, merely confirmed the common man's unflattering perception of politicians. The opposition's attempt to portray the fight as one between a sectarian Government and a secular opposition cuts no ice whatsoever. How is it that the BSP, which voted against the Government, had no qualms about sharing power with the BJP in Uttar Pradesh not so long ago? One may not share the BJP's attitude to minorities, but blaming the coalition Government for all atrocities committed against Christians, many of them in opposition-ruled states, is surely a travesty of the truth. So far as the left is concerned, its inability to distinguish between the reality of a coalition led by the moderate wing of the BJP and a hypothetical sectarian government controlled by extremists in the Sangh parivar has driven it straight into the arms of a right-wing Congress, ironically the biggest enemy of its cadres. Clearly, all the talk of secular forces isso much hogwash, aimed at masking the reality of jockeying for power. Apart from the personal agendas of leaders accused of corruption, the other compulsion for several of our regional parties is the necessity to protect their regional fiefdoms. That is why Mulayam and Laloo are with the Congress, while the Akalis and the Telugu Desam support the BJP. Secularism does not enter into it. Nevertheless, political manoeuvring needs the figleaf of ideological justification, and secularism provides a convenient rallying cry. Whether anybody is fooled by it is another matter altogether.

The simple fact is that the Government has been brought down without the thought of any alternative. The internal contradictions which existed in the BJP-led coalition will continue to exist in any Government formed by the Congress-and in a more virulent form. Any new Government will have to depend for its existence on the support of Jayalalitha and Laloo, who will, as quid pro quo, want the corruption cases against them quashed.Hardly an enviable situation for the Congress to be in.

Given the fact that it had been dealt an unenviable hand, the performance of the Vajpayee Government has been fairly good. As Vajpayee pointed out during the debate in Parliament, his Government has left its mark on history by making India a nuclear power and by testing the Agni-2 missile. Regardless of what the critics of the policy say, the groundswell of public support for the defence policy shows that, at least in this respect, the Government was able to read the pulse of the people. On the economic front, the Government made a serious attempt to reduce subsidies, and this year's budget had been roundly endorsed by the markets. Reforms were sought to be carried forward by the introduction of the patents and insurance bills. An attempt was made to start the process of reform in SEBs. A responsible opposition would have endorsed or opposed these policies on the basis of principles, and it would have refused to bring down the Government at a time whenthe fate of the finance bill hung in the balance. The reality, however, is that the Government has been brought down solely in order to satisfy Jayalalitha. And the tragedy for the Congress is that it agreed to be used by Jayalalitha for her own purposes.

Given the lack of unity among opposition parties on anything barring the need to bring down the Vajpayee Government, it would make sense for President KR Narayanan to dissolve the Lok Sabha and order fresh elections. But just in case he would like to give the Congress a chance to try cobbling together a coalition, he should ask Sonia Gandhi to get the support of her backers in writing-the same kind of condition the President set for Vajpayee last year. This would be fair to one and all. There is one other very important point: the least the politicians can do to redeem themselves is to agree to pass the Finance Bill. The two main parties must agree, in the national interest, to pass the budget immediately in order to avoid a financial crisis.