As we write these lines, the Farmer’s Protest shows no signs of weakening. The Prime Minister’s entreaties haven’t had the slightest effect on the disgruntled peasants blocking the roads to the national capital. Ministers in the Modi Cabinet haven’t covered themselves in glory making irresponsible and unverified allegations against peaceful protestors. But our anguish at the moment is caused by something else. The government at the Centre considers itself empowered by the electorate to ride roughshod over all dissent only because the Opposition has failed miserably to resist its assault on individuals and institutions.
The rag tag Opposition fatally disunited is the real cause of our misery.
Where do we begin? Obviously with the Congress Party. It continues to claim that it is the principal opposition party with the natural (birth)right to lead any united front. From Uttar Pradesh to Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan what is called the High Command has committed hara-kiri repeatedly. It was absolutely nauseating when in the middle of myriad challenges facing the nation, ‘loyal’ soldiers of the Indian National Congress were busy trying to convince fellow Indians that 99.9 percent of Congressmen were keen that Rahul Gandhi lead the party to a Phoenix-like resurrection. It doesn’t seem to have dawned on these dumb folks that no one is interested or bothered about what happens to the defunct political party.
Sonia Gandhi and her progeny have become a shameless, sad joke. They refuse to fade away and continue to mount a distressing sideshow that has long since ceased to be amusing. The family suffers from delusions that it is the Congress Party’s inheritors and custodians of a great legacy. The fact is that the trio are primarily responsible for ruining whatever their ancestors had accomplished. Unfortunately, neither Jawaharlal Nehru nor his daughter could get over the love for their children, who were groomed for succession.
Cruel fate intervened more than once to lay waste dynastic plans but also compensated in strange ways to drape the accidental successors with a glow of martyrdom. The story has been told many a time to bear repetition. Sycophants continue to mythologise the ‘selfless sacrifices’ this family has made. Hagiography, just short of idol worship, insists that India’s emergence as a modern nation owes everything to just one family and no one else.
Long years of Congress in power has succeeded to a very large extent in erasing the memories of other ‘makers of the nation’. Rahul continues to flounder totally out of his depth. His anti-Midas touch remains powerful enough to come to the aid of BJP/NDA in their hour of need. Thank god for small mercies. The son-in-law hasn’t been visible or audible—that was an albatross around the neck.
No more words require to be wasted in requiem.
Others in the Opposition have not done much better. Poor Tejashwi Yadav was sunk by the Congress in Bihar to allow the BJP to retain the state. And now Mamata Banerjee seems to have decided to fight alone with her back to the wall to keep the BJP at bay. One must concede that she has always been a lone warrior, a street fighter who doesn’t care much for the rules of engagement. She annihilated the CPI(M) by adopting their own rough tactics and effecting large-scale defection from their ranks—not ideologically motivated cadres but mastaans who disciplined the masses as per the party’s wishes in lieu of proverbial loaves and fishes.
Now the shoe is on the other foot. Amit Shah is administering the same bitter medicine to her. Didi is projecting herself as the defender of the state’s rights in the federation and it doesn’t appear likely that she will either bend or break under pressure. However, this lonely confrontation with an authoritarian Centre doesn’t bode well for opposition unity. State leaders from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh to Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Kerala appear to be following separate survival strategies to hold back as long as they can the predator lurking at the door.
The Communist parties—CPI(M) and CPI—are more active in newspaper columns and social media than in rough and tumble of politics on the ground. Besides parroting words like secularism and democracy they seem to be tongue-tied. Their own opportunistic alliances with communal elements, lack of intra-party democracy have eroded their credibility. Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav—once seen as alternatives—are exhausted and inexplicably constrained to take a stand. CM Adityanath has taken the wind out of their sails. Die-hard opponents of the BJP/RSS are left clutching at straws—Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth or some knight in shining armour that may suddenly emerge from the shadows to save the Republic.
Modi and Shah can’t be blamed for persisting with the belief that they have the mandate to rebuild India in the image of the Hindutva Dream. This may be a scary nightmare for many but what is identified is the majority community seems to have no problems with this project.
pushpeshpant@gmail.com
Former professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University