Apart from having a stable and solid Government, capable of taking key decisions, India deserves and should have had an equally strong and coherent political opposition. But the ground reality suggests otherwise. There is no doubt a strong Government in place, deciding variedly on various issues, affecting the country on various fronts, but a viable, traditional opposition is very well missing—ensuring whatever the Government wills and wants, becomes law without any resistance—as the opposition stands driven far away from a sphere where they could impact the Government’s decision making process.
While a well-knit, synchronized political opposition, which knows how to perform and how to keep checks and balances as the Government moves ahead with its policies, remains missing, what seems to be solidifying it is the absence of a leader in the opposition. Several opposition parties are trying to show resistance, acting as a strong bundle of sticks, but they do not seem to be leaving any impact on the political landscape of the country where the BJP galore; rules most of the states and does not provide a space for the opposition to show up.
There have been several steps taken by the Government in all these years that should have been opposed, resisted; pressure built to make the necessary changes, wherever highlighted, but that scene was never witnessed: the opposition failed to gather, ensure pressure and compel the Government for incorporating policy changes, as is seen in various other democracies functioning around the globe where the decisions that go against the foundations of any country are met with fierce resistance, unlike India where instead of the ruling party, the opposition always seen cornered, on the back foot.
It is very well known that the political opposition in the country is dealing with several pressures; wherever they go out of line, the various agencies are unleashed on them, making them fall in line, but that should not deter the country’s scattered opposition from acting as a pressure group and ensuring that the present regime does not take up the shape of a dictatorship.
The time has come for the opposition to huddle around, brainstorm on how to strengthen the bundle, and, first, put up a leader of the opposition, tasked to lead the joint opposition and work towards ensuring that India succeeds in preserving its democratic spirit where the members on both the sides of the parliament hold equal importance and contribute towards the nation-building. Even though we see the opposition parties coming together ahead of Presidential Elections in the country, there is a need for rising to the occasion for a greater cause—not to let the democratic, secular soul of the country die, silently.
