Three significant political events have taken place this week, characterising the nature of the Opposition in the state of evolution at the national level post the meteoric ascent of the BJP under Narendra Modi. The Congress party’s heir-in-waiting Rahul Gandhi has returned to the national capital after his 56-day sabbatical, which included a course in vipassana or meditation to induce calm. The CPI(M), which had long led the Left flock, went through an inner churning at its 21st party Congress in Kerala during its worst existential crisis. And the splintered groups of the erstwhile ‘Janata Parivar’ of the 1990s announced their resolve to reunite after a long and bitter season of infighting.
Given that a strong Opposition is the sine qua non of democracy, these events were keenly noticed by political observers, given the fact that at this juncture, India doesn’t seem to have an opposition worth the name at national level. There are no indications that any of the three non-BJP configurations—the Congress, Left or the maverick elements of the so-called third front—has a cohesive plan to fill the vacuum.
The Congress remains utterly confused and directionless. Even though the party leaders forced smile on their faces to welcome Rahul’s return, they remained unsure if the time had come for Sonia to hand over the baton to him. Party spokesman P C Chacko said the Congress Working Committee will meet to discuss “all matters” only after the Budget Session ends on May 13. An AICC session is also planned soon after to approve some amendments in the Congress constitution. RPN Singh, a Rahul aide from Uttar Pradesh and a former minister of state for home, dropped a clear hint that the 44-year-old scion is not taking the party reins any sooner from his mother.
The coming together of the Janata Parivar under the leadership of Mulayam Singh Yadav does not inspire confidence. The reasons are not far to seek. The Parivar comprises parties that are led by leaders who do not see eye to eye. In fact, they were all created to subserve their personal and familial interests. The only ideology that unites them is their opposition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They realise they have a better chance of survival as a united entity than as separate parties, forgetting that they have a record of coming together only to go their separate ways.
The immediate agenda of the Parivar is to win the elections in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh by hook or by crook. What they do not realise is that their hatred for a person is not a strong reason for the voters to lap them up. People choose a party on the basis of its agenda. If the BJP was able to win the Lok Sabha and subsequent Assembly elections, it was because of the leadership provided by Modi. The people have faith in his promise that he would be guided solely by the need to develop the country. The Janata Parivar should have an alternative agenda that appeals to the people. It can have its own priorities of development, different from Modi’s. Alas, nothing of the kind is heard about except their aversion for Modi. That is unlikely to take the party far.
Worse is the case of the Left. Whatever CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat says about the idea of reviving the third front, the fact remains that the CPI(M)’s fortunes are like a post-dated cheque drawn on a bank which is in the process of liquidation. Successive elections have reduced the party to a regional outfit in Kerala and Tripura. In West Bengal, where the party held sway for decades, the cadres have been leaving it as fast as the rats from a sinking ship. The CPI(M) is still obsessed with its outdated ideology, rather than the bread and butter issues of the people.
preetha.thomas@yahoo.in
Thomas is associate professor at Barkatullah University