Natwar Singh, looking at T.R. Baalu’s jaunty and so-far-successful reinterpretation of nepotism, may be wondering why fathers and sons get into more trouble over oil than gas. But, of course, it’s not different hydrocarbons but different political parties that explain the contrasting receptions to the two ministerial-entrepreneurial ventures. Singh was from the Congress and Baalu is from a Congress coalition ally.

Even if Baalu juniors had got what their father had promised — much is being made of the fact that the gas wasn’t delivered, a pitiful argument by any definition of political conduct — it is extremely doubtful Manmohan Singh would have seriously considered creating a ministerial vacancy. The reason is not because the PMO itself is embroiled in the controversy. In fact, ministers who embarrass PMs personally are especially likely to be sacked in an ordinary system of cabinet governance. We however have a sabotaged system of cabinet governance. True, this is a spectacularly commonplace observation about Indian politics now. But there are some not-so-obvious implications. Implications we need to debate seriously since the “metropolitan fantasy” of an effective two-party system is not about to obtain (your correspondent happily admits to being such a fantasist) and another general election is due.

Are we entering a long period of institutionalised policy chaos? The BJP-led government that was formed in 1999 also had to negotiate with allies on ministry distribution. But significantly it took away communications and civil aviation from allies in a 2001 reshuffle (Sharad Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan, respectively, were the “victims”). The Congress was in a weaker position in 2004 than the BJP was in 1999. So it was and is in no position to take away key ministries from its allies despite concerns similar to or even stronger than those the BJP had in 2001. Shibu Soren’s long-delayed departure from coal is obviously not a valid example. And TRS’s Chandrasekhara Rao himself quit the UPA. If national parties become weaker in the next elections, this trend will take a firmer hold.

... contd.