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One of the advantages of studying English literature in school is that you come to grips with the themes of the great classics. The disadvantage is that school teachers go out of their way to make these classics so boring that you promptly forget all about them once your exams are over.

I am guessing that this is the reason why nobody has used any Dr Faustus parallels for the tragedy of UPA II. Like me, you may have studied Christopher Marlowe’s Dr Faustus at school. Or you may be familiar with the various versions of the Faust story by other writers (in books, in opera, in movies, etc.).

If not, here is the theme: Dr Faustus is a brilliant man who desires glory and wealth. The Devil grants him his wish but asks for his soul in return. So, though Dr Faustus enjoys life (the devil even produces Helen of Troy for him: the ‘was this the face that launched a thousand ships’ quote is from the play) and Faustus feels he is on top of the world. But of course, it all ends very sadly as things tend to when you deal with the Devil.

It is not too much of a stretch to see the story of the UPA as a modern version of the Faust legend. Under Dr Manmohan Singh, a truly brilliant man, the UPA had everything going for it. But such was its desire to cling to power that it did a deal with the Devil: in this case, the allies.

It is now reasonably clear that the top leadership of the UPA knew that A Raja was making billions on behalf of his boss, the DMK chief M Karunanidhi. It is as clear that the leadership deliberately chose not to intervene because if it had clamped down on Raja’s money-making, the DMK would have left the alliance, and the government would have fallen.

Such was the desire of the brilliant leaders of the UPA to save their government that they compromised on their own integrity and allowed the DMK to treat the telecom ministry as one huge ATM machine from which the party could make frequent and massive withdrawals.

Because I think that Manmohan Singh and his colleagues are essentially honourable people, I can imagine the kind of calculation that went into this compromise. They decided that while it was bad that the DMK was making so much money, it was still better than the alternative: the collapse of the government, instability and chaos and the end of the Indian growth story.

The problem with this kind of reasoning is that no matter how logical it seems at the time, nothing changes the fact that you’re dealing with the Devil.

And one day, that deal will unravel – just as Dr Faustus’ did – and the Devil will arrive at your door to claim your soul: just as the devil has now turned up at this government’s door.

I don’t want to get too self-righteous about the UPA or the deals it made, but there is a larger question here. All opinion polls suggest that were the general election to be held tomorrow, we would end up not just with a hung Parliament but with one where the smaller regional parties mattered even more than they do now.

Anybody who tried to form a government would have to do deals with these regional parties. Governments would be made and unmade on the whims and greed of small but strategically significant players. If you think Karunanidhi is bad, what happens when Mayawati holds the key to power? Or when potential Prime Ministers have to prostrate themselves before Jayalalithaa?

Dr Faustus is a tragedy. And so, I suspect, is modern Indian politics. Anybody who seeks to cobble together a coalition will have to do deals with the devil. And the truth is that most regional parties have no conception of India’s larger interest. Their concerns are purely local or identity-based (caste, religion, etc.)

Giving in to the allies has cost the UPA nearly the whole of its second term. It is a serious cost but one that we have learnt to live with. My question goes further: will anyone who wants to find a majority in future Parliaments be condemned to make similar deals and to sell his soul to the Devil for a taste of power?

Sadly, I am beginning to think that I should have paid more attention in English literature class. Dr Faustus seems to be the template for modern Indian politics.

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