The lives lost in the Nandigram violence must have shattered many families. Hopefully their grief will pass. Time is a great healer. But will time heal the fatal damage to Indian democracy and Constitution that the Nandigram episode exposed? Nandigram revealed the cancerous rot afflicting the UPA alliance. The UPA alliance in turn exposed the cancerous rot spread by the comforting mantra that a coalition dharma is the answer toIndia's prayers for stability. Consider the conduct of the two major UPA partners--Congress and the Left.
For months the Left ranted against the Indo-US Nuclear Deal as a treaty that would destroyIndia's independence, sovereignty and security. The Left proposed changing existing law by compelling governments to obtain parliamentary approval for all international treaties. Some Left leaders cited the US example where the American President must get treaties ratified by US Congress. But the US has a Presidential system where governments have fixed terms. India has a parliamentary system. So what happened to the much quoted Westminster model and conventions that MPs invoke whenever it suits them?