Though the Rajya Sabha elections from Gujrat are over and a new vice-president has taken the oath of office, there is a lot of unfinished business that will keep speculations rife in coming months. First, the BJP failed to keep Ahmed Patel out of the Rajya Sabha despite staking all it had. Not only has this resulted in loss of face, but it has revived—at least temporarily—the comatose Congress party. Rahul Gandhi is still incognito and not claiming credit for the victory, but you never can tell when he chooses to roll up his sleeves and exhort his storm-troopers to oust the Forces of Darkness. It will be interesting to watch the heavyweights jostle in the Upper House. Amit Shah is no pushover and the Chanakya of Congress hasn’t exactly covered himself in glory in parliamentary attacks and counterattacks.
Both the Rajya Sabha and vice-presidential elections have highlighted deep fissures among the Opposition. The Mahagathbandhan is in a shambles and the last ditch stand taken by Sharad Yadav has only exposed the hopeless mess the rump in JD(U) is in. Lalu Prasad Yadav’s progeny has ensured that their antics keep the issue of rampant corruption centre stage. The ‘threat to secularism’ has been reduced to a hollow slogan. The crisis in Darjeeling drags on as Mamata Banerjee remains oblivious of the explosive potential of the Gorkhaland agitation. She too keeps appealing for Opposition unity and is expressing her willingness to join hands with anyone—the Congress and the Communists included— but has found no takers.
Siddaramaiah is busy fanning fires of parochialism and linguistic fanaticism to distract attention from his failures in governance. His hands full, he can’t contribute anything to the revival of INC elsewhere. Tamil Nadu seems to have opted out of national politics for the time being. The entry of one super star or another is being awaited with bated breath. The merger of dissident breakaway factions with the majority in AIADMK keeps things in constant flux. The DMK, too, appears preoccupied with family matters. In Odisha, we are witnessing the replay of the sad saga of Lion in Winter. Naveen Patnaik, the patriarch, is facing difficulties in keeping the family and the flock together. Simmering of discontent surfaced uncomfortably at the time of the presidential elections and haven’t ceased since.
Mehbooba Mufti has had her feathers badly ruffled by the talk of a review of Article 370 and 35A. Alas, neither she nor her predecessors, Omar Abdullah and Farooq Abdullah, realise that much has changed in the Valley in past year. The separatists and the Hurriyat have overplayed their hand. Encouraged by the softness of the PDP-BJP coalition government, they have repeatedly challenged the sovereignty and integrity of India. It is difficult to sympathise with the grievances they mouth. The armed forces have by and large shown exemplary restraint in dealing with youthful miscreants. But no nation can afford to let off secessionists scot-free. None can deny that there have been violations of human rights in this long-drawn strife, but it’s not only the government and the paramilitary forces who are to blame. The separatists have ruthlessly brutalised innocent civilians and targeted men in uniform. Exposures of money laundering and debauchery on part of their leaders have severely eroded their credibility. Trying to glorify mercenary terrorists as ‘martyrs’ hasn’t helped matters. To indulge in a ‘dialogue’ with ‘all stakeholders’ is not a luxury that India can afford at this moment.
It is difficult for the critics to put the NDA government in the dock for its failures to defuse the crisis in Jammu and Kashmir. While it’s true that the greed of the state unit to join the government has contributed to the aggravation of the situation, it is ultimately the intransigence of the vested political interests—the dynasties in PDP, NC and the Hurriyat—that must share the primary blame.
In short, non-BJP parties are not in a position to pose a challenge to the government at the Centre. The peevish pinpricks will continue, but people expect and deserve a little more from the Opposition in a democracy.
Come to think of it, people expect a little more from the government they have elected than from the Opposition. This applies as much to the Centre as to the states. In Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath is struggling to enforce the rule of law, and Haryana hasn’t quite succeeded in reining the spoilt brats of VIPs. The irony is that there is hardly any difference in the conduct of those belonging to the ruling elite, whether they are in government or in the Opposition. Akhilesh Yadav’s 175-strong motorcade zoomed past a toll barrier recently without paying the prescribed tax. Things must change. But will they? And when? pushpeshpant@gmail.com