The Opposition habitually opposes any decision taken by the government. It does not come up with positive agenda for the progress of the nation
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi had gate crashed into an ongoing presser at the Press Club of India in the politically fragile months of 2013. He tore apart a copy of an Ordinance promulgated to get around the Supreme Court verdict on barring elected representatives convicted with a jail term of two or more years. At that time Manmohan Singh, the prime minister who headed the UPA-II, was visiting the US on an official visit.
The political impulses of Rahul Gandhi sent him on a path to rob the credibility of the prime minister of the day. Manmohan Singh was rumoured to have seriously considered resigning from the office. But he was persuaded to stay in the office. It is an irony that Rahul Gandhi went on the US visit 10 days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official tour of Washington. Not heeding the political consensus that domestic politics should not seek foreign shores for mudslinging, Rahul Gandhi launched personal attacks on PM Modi. The comparison of the two incidents is too relevant to ignore to read the prevailing mood of Indian politics.
The opposition parties have decided to hold a meeting in Patna on June 23. Even before the meeting takes place, the leaders from the opposition camp have begun saying that their agenda is not to win the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The agenda of the opposition parties is clearly negative. It also is clear that the opposition parties seek to cause political instability in the country, as has been the habit of the Congress.
India is projected by the United Nations to emerge as the most populous nation in the world. Demographic bias favours the youth. The young population of India is aspirational. This section looks upon the political class to fulfil their aspirations. The opposition parties could have considered positive agenda for the aspirational people. Yet, it’s not a surprise for the political observers in the country. The opposition parties are in a compulsive obsession with negative agenda. For them, it’s immaterial that India is holding the G20 presidency. For them, it’s also immaterial that India is emerging as an economic powerhouse. For the opposition parties, what matters most is the question, of how to stop Modi from becoming the prime minister of the country once more after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Former Prime Minister H D S Deve Gowda also faced the no-confidence motion. At that time, the late Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was the leader of the opposition, had asked the Congress to shed light on circumstances leading to the motion in the Lok Sabha, as several internationally significant events were taking place in the country. Late Vajpayee had wondered in his speech while taking part in the debate on the motion that the timing of the event was perplexing. It begs an answer and the opposition parties must answer that India is hosting the presidency of not only G20 but also of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and yet they invented reasons to boycott the inauguration of the new building of Parliament. Former Prime Minister H D S Deve Gowda did not join the boycott call and he very strongly rejected the move of the opposition parties.
The opposition parties cannot just invent reasons to disrupt historical events such as the inauguration of the new Parliament building. This politics of boycott has ulterior motives. This was proved as the chief ministers of the states ruled by the opposition parties stayed away from the eighth meeting of the Governing Council of the NITI Aayog, which was held at the newly-built convention centre at the Pragati Maidan.
India is now a $3.5 trillion economy. India will hit the $5 trillion economy milestone in the next few years going ahead of Germany to become the fourth-largest economy. By 2047, India is aspiring to become the second-largest economy. There are 25 years before us to achieve the goal.
Modi’s agenda for the country is before the people. The onus is on the opposition parties to reveal their agenda. To state that their agenda is to just stop Modi from becoming the prime minister of the country once more will be disrespectful to the people, as they want positive agenda from the political parties, as well as a credible roadmap to bring definitive changes in their lives. The Opposition unity is not a new slogan. The people in Uttar Pradesh saw it in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, and they gave a verdict against the politics of negative agenda.
The Gandhi Peace Award was bestowed upon the Geeta Press for years of selfless service. Yet, the Opposition faulted the decision of the government without any cogent reason. The message is clear that the Opposition will just oppose any decision taken by the government. At the same time, the Opposition falls short of bringing a positive agenda for the progress of the nation. This calls for introspection from the leaders of the constituents of the Opposition camp to ponder what agenda they have to offer to the people of the country who are aspirational.
(Author is a political analyst. Views expressed are personal)