The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government came into existence in May 2004 following a major political upset — the surprise defeat of the Bharatiya Janata Party and many of its allies in the 14th general election. For a little over four-fifths of a full term, the UPA has functioned as a minority government supported from outside by four Left parties with close to 60 Lok Sabha members. Unsurprisingly, there have been sharp policy differences between the r uling party and the Left on domestic as well as international, economic as well as political, issues. But the improbable government arrangement worked reasonably well as long as there was political goodwill, consultation, and a genuine effort to build common ground on issues of secularism and those related to the livelihood and democratic concerns of the people....
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