(Rahul Joglekar is a London-based journalist)
Two very dissimilar parties came together in a marriage of convenience in the UK in 2010. In its first post-war coalition, the left-of-centre Liberal Democrats and the right-of-centre Conservative Party decided to embark on a novel experiment. No party had secured the seats needed to form a government. Of 650 seats in the House of Commons, the Conservatives had 302. (Short of the 325 needed to form a government).
So what did they do?
The deal
They struck a deal. The leader of the Conservative Party - Mr David Cameron, would become the Prime Minister. The leader of the Liberal Democrats, Mr Nick Clegg, with 57 seats, who were quite used to sitting in opposition for decades before this, would become the Deputy PM and this would be a unique coalition government between a big party and a much smaller one.
What about the difference of political ideology between the two?
Mr Vince Cable, the Business Minister and an important figure in the Liberal Democrat party explains the compulsions, "Back in 2010, the country faced a serious crisis. We'd been through this enormous banking crisis. It was the worst we'd ever had in modern British history. The economy was in a bad state and it needed parties to work together in the national interest to turn the country around and provide a period of stability and that's what happened."
He admits, "We have quite big differences with the Conservatives over policy but we've worked with them in a business-like way the way coalitions should work."
Student feesWhatever way you may look at this, the deal that made the Liberal Democrats come to power, has also been a disaster for the party.
Here's why - one of the main reasons why people voted for the Liberal Democrats was their promise that they will not raise tuition fees paid by students who go to university. A student studying at university usually paid (before the current government came to power) something like 3,000 pounds per year to study his / her degree in the UK. The Conservative-led coalition raised that to 9,000 pounds. Of course, there was a promise that students needed to repay this only after they graduated - so it was like a graduate-tax, it nevertheless made Nick Clegg and his colleagues like Vince Cable look like they were openly breaking a promise they made to the public.
"The issue of student fees was politically damaging. We made promises before the election that shouldn't have been made. We regret having made the pledge."
Mr Cable, of course, argues that the policy that has taken its place is a much better one because universities now have much better funding.
Coalition dharmaMr Cable laughs at the suggestion that British politics is beginning to resemble Indian politics - with deal making, coalitions and defections now much more common at Westminster.
But what is it like being in a coalition? And while Indian political parties often give the bigger party sleepless nights by threatening to walk out over issues that matter to them and their electorate, the Liberal Democrats seemed much tamer. They never threatened to walk out of government. But there have been differences, sometimes, expressed quite openly.
Mr Cable explains that in a one-party system, there are difference and conflicts. "But they are hidden. Whereas here, they are out in the open."
"And I think we've made more radical reforms in a variety of areas than any modern British government," he claims. He does concede that there has been an erosion of support from the usual voters of the party - because they expect the Lib Dems to be in "opposition mode" which is difficult to do if you are part of the government.
India policyOnce again, the bigger party - the David Cameron-led Conservative party, not usually a natural choice of immigrants coming to Britain, has taken the lead on the UK government's India policy. A Lib Dem insider told this reporter that when the Mahatma Gandhi statue was unveiled a few weeks ago at Parliament Square, the presence of Liberal Democrat politicians was nominal.
But Mr Cable, has visited India several times and takes much interest in talking about issues that affect India.
"The long term potential of India is vast. I am almost certain that India will be growing faster than China. One can see the energy already and the growth potential and I am very optimistic about the future of India."
Mr Cable however, didn't want to be drawn into making any comment on Mr Modi or his policies. "I don't want to get involved in Indian politics and making comments on particular individuals and parties. I work perfectly well with the predecessor government, we had good relations with them and we've developed a good relationship with Mr Modi's government, that is, most of his ministers. That seems to be going well and I wish well for the country."
Indian Students
One of the other policies of this government that has angered Indian students has been the removal of the PSW (Post Study Work) visa. This visa, allowed students to automatically stay on in the UK for two years to find work or an internship. Now, they have to return to India immediately after the completion of their degree.
"This is an area that there are strong disagreements within the coalition. We have to welcome international students."
"If we were in government on our own, we would like to re-introduce it. This is an area where the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats disagree."
He also says that he will do away with other restrictions on other visa categories like Tier-2 visas.
Mr Cable also spoke about the coalition's achievements in the economy and creating jobs.
"Living standards were cut for sure (after the economic crisis) but the economy is now growing," he said.
This does promise to be a very interesting election. Because even if the Liberal Democrats do hemorrhage seats, which is likely, in the case of a hung parliament, the Lib Dems, may hold the keys to who forms the next government in the UK.
When this reporter asked Mr Cable for his choice for the next PM - Ed Miliband, the leader of the Labour Party or David Cameron of the Conservative party - he said, " It's not our job to go around picking favorites. We are happy to work with other parties, coalition is one possibility but there are other forms of minority government," keeping the door wide open for any post-poll alliance with either of the two big parties.
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