NEW DELHI ,9 May 2026 : A speech delivered nearly three decades ago has resurfaced at a moment when Tamil Nadu is dealing with the aftermath of a hung assembly. The largest party in terms of seats won in the recently held Assembly elections — Vijay’s TVK — has not been invited to form the government and is instead seeking support from smaller parties that hold one or two seats each. The second-largest party remains outside government. The third largest party is part of the coalition, while the smallest party holds a position in government.
Against this backdrop, observers are recalling a 1997 speech by former BJP leader Pramod Mahajan, whose remarks on the contradictions of coalition politics were delivered during a confidence motion debate in the Lok Sabha.
The speech, delivered on April 11, 1997, during discussions on the survival of Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda’s United Front government, is remembered not just for its sharp observation but also for its humour. Mahajan’s speech is viral again as parties in Tamil Nadu engage in negotiations that cross ideological lines, including a short-lived buzz of an alignment between archenemies DMK and AIADMK.
The 1996 Elections ,No party secured an absolute majority in the 1996 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP emerged as the single largest party with 161 seats. President Shankar Dayal Sharma invited Atal Bihari Vajpayee to form the government. With its existing allies, including the Shiv Sena, the BJP could count on around 194 seats. Vajpayee hoped for additional support from regional parties such as the TDP, DMK, or AGP. However, these parties declined, citing secularism as the reason for their unity against the BJP.
When it became clear that the government lacked a majority, Vajpayee delivered a notable speech and resigned after 13 days. Following the collapse, non-BJP and non-Congress parties formed the United Front. The Congress, with 140 seats, chose to provide support from outside. The United Front held approximately 190 seats.
With Congress’ backing, Deve Gowda secured a majority and was sworn in as Prime Minister on June 1, 1996.
Sitaram Kesri, who had become Congress president, believed Deve Gowda was not giving him sufficient importance. Investigations into older corruption cases involving Congress leaders had also intensified during this period. Kesri sought intervention from the Prime Minister, which was not forthcoming.
On March 30, 1997, Kesri visited Rashtrapati Bhavan and withdrew support. A confidence motion was subsequently moved. On April 11, 1997, the United Front received 190 votes while the opposition secured 292. Both the BJP and Congress voted against the government.
It was in this debate that Pramod Mahajan spoke.
Mahajan began by recounting a visit by an Indian parliamentary delegation to China, led by Ramakant Khalap. He noted the curiosity among Chinese counterparts about how Indian democracy functioned, and then went on to reveal how he explained it to them.
“I am Pramod Mahajan. I am a Member of Lok Sabha. I belong to the single-largest party and I am in the opposition,” he said.
The Chinese delegates, according to Mahajan, reacted with surprise. He then pointed to Congress MP Sriballav Panigrahi and described him as belonging to the second-largest party, which was outside the government but supporting it. Next, he pointed at MA Baby of the CPI(M), describing him as from the third-largest party, inside the Front but outside the government.
Picture credit social media
