Rise above petty politics

Opposition parties, particularly the Congress, see this as a ruling party conspiracy against CMs of rival parties. Clearly, political gamesmanship is involved in the heckling of CMs, what with Assembly elections being round the corner in Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Jharkhand and Maharashtra. That does not, however, mean a boycott of the functions of the Prime Minister of the country is justifiable.

Frosty relations between the party or parties ruling in New Delhi and those in power in the states are not an unknown phenomenon. CMs have been known to meet the ends of protocol by going to the airport to receive the PM for the statutory photo-opportunity featuring a bunch of flowers but later keeping off public meetings.

Political maturity is a progressive standard to which India must aspire if it is to emerge from the uncertain days of a fractured polity, which was reflected in the differing verdicts of the people. The problems thrown up by a federal set-up with regional variations in public mandate must be faced. Boycotts are obviously not going to achieve this.

It is one thing to nurse differences in political matters and quite another to see everything in terms of elections, votes and vote banks. The dominant party of the ruling alliance can also help by reining in their cadres from insulting duly-elected CMs. It is really up to the leaders of both sides to rise above the pettiness of issues created by electoral politics. The Prime Minister and the Congress CMs are expected to show the way.