Question

In the midst of severe competition and many conflicts in 1989, a consensus appeared to have emerged among most parties. Explain any three points of consensus.

Answer 1

After 1989, there was a lot of competition and conflict, but most parties seemed to agree on one thing:

1. Although most parties initially opposed the new economic policies of 1991, they now support them. Numerous governments have employed these policies, transforming the economy and bolstering the country's strength. Many people now think these policies made the country rich and famous in the world economy.
2. During the 1990s, when coalitions were popular, regional parties became more important at the national level as part of the NDA, UPA, and National Front governments' alliance parties.
3. Political parties agree that they need to meet backward classes' political and social needs. This has led to strong support for reserving seats in schools and workplaces. Additionally, all parties are prepared to guarantee adequate representation and power for Other Backward Classes (OBCs). In the 1990s, more people from the lower classes got involved in politics, and more Dalits organized themselves politically.
4. Acceptance of the role of state-level parties in the country's governance: The distinction between state-level and national-level parties is fast becoming less important. State-level parties share power at the national level and have played a central role in the country's politics for the last twenty years or so.
5. Emphasis on pragmatic considerations rather than ideological positions and political alliances without ideological agreement: Coalition politics has shifted the focus of political parties from ideological differences to power-sharing arrangements. Thus, most parties of the NDA did not agree with the BJP's 'Hindutva' ideology. Yet they came together to form a government and remained in power for a full term.