RaGa-- outcome of our historically weak opposition !!
Most political observers lament the weak opposition in our democracy today. But this is not something unique to this Lok-Sabha or to this time. One of the biggest shortcoming of the Indian political scenario ever since Independence has been the lack of a credible opposition.
It may come as a surprise to many but actually in the seventy odd years it has been in only the last few years that we have had a opposition worthy of being counted upon and now that the opposition has won and is in power, we again don't have an opposition !!
The congress party having been in power for over five decades never required to don the mantle of the opposition and hence did not bother to learn the art. The others managed to get their act together and have defeated the congress, but the latter instead of diligently fulfilling the role it has been now assigned, is content in either waiting for the party in power to commit a fatal blunder or at the best resorts to its dirty tricks department to cause an unhealthy disruption.
As is evident that in the past three and a half years the main opposition party has had no coherent policy or strategy on any of the numerous reforms and issues raised the present day government. It is quite happy with the maverick showjumping of their party president into political arena as 'much needed breaks' from serious 'working' holidays abroad. It would be much better if the congress sheds its grand old mantle and presents a more constructive ideology in the nation's interest at the earliest.
Today, one may agree or disagree with the policies of the present government but every person who has the nation's interest in his mind yearns for a credible and sensible opposition, an opposition which is not obstructionist but constructive. For our democracy to be truly vibrant and mature it is absolutely imperative, but why is it that our system is lacking in it. Lets look what our past opposition was like.
Well surprisingly, our country, our Lok Sabha did not have a leader of opposition till 1969 !! The post was vacant for two decades after we became a Republic in 1950. In 1945 the Congress party won the election for representatives with the promise of an undivided India. The 'betrayal' of partition could have easily turned the country to the main opposition party at that time the Hindu Maha Sabha(HMS). But the turn of events of the assassination of Mahatama Gandhi led to Pandit Nehru banning the HMS and soon the main opposition crumbled. The fact that a multi-party democracy was chosen instead of a two party system at the center ensured that the opposition remained fragmented and meant that no opposition party had the requisite 10% of the seats of the Lok-Sabha to be eligible for the post of Leader of the Opposition (LOP).
Just for the records the first leader of Opposition in Lok-sabha was Ram Suhag Singh from Congress (S) a break away faction of the Indian National Congress and that too for just a period of one year from Dec '69 to '70.
Thus, the opposition in the first four Lok-Sabhas constituted of several small parties and independent candidates with no single group even coming close to the 10% mark but strangely enough, all the parliamentarians did not find it necessary to make any constitutional changes to enable even a namesake opposition !!
Then again the post was vacant for seven years, till after the imposed Emergency (75-77), a hastily cobbled up Janata Party came to power, only for a short period of two years leaders from Congress(I) 'had to become' leader of opposition. Notably Mrs Gandhi chose not to be the LOP and when Indira Gandhi regained power in '79 , JagJivan Ram managed to remain the LOP for barely a period of one month following which, again there was a 'comfortable' period of 10 years with no credible opposition and no LOP !!
It was only after Rajiv Gandhi whittled away a unassailable mandate of 410 for the Congress (after '84, and now renamed Indian National Congress) that he had to don the mantle of the leader of opposition for a period of one year till Dec '90. It was a first for Nehru family !
Effectively for 40 years our democratic country did not have an effective opposition to the ruling dispensation, and for 38 out of these 40 years the Congress party was the 'ruling' party. Would it have been better not just for our country but also our democracy if we had a robust and responsible opposition in these all important formative years of our country ? Seeing the magnitude of the problems that had confronted our nation during these four decades, we now realize in hindsight, that several of the decisions taking by the government in power did not turn out in our best interests as a nation. A healthy opposition may have played a corrective role in several such difficult junctures. Another serious side effect has been the ruling dispensation developed a sort of addiction to the unbridled authority and the certainty of power, signs of which are glaringly visible even now.
Since the '90 the Bhartiya Janata Party has been in opposition and had a Leader of Opposition for close to 18 years while the Congress has donned the role for a little over 5 years. By most observers the former has played a more constructive role in the opposition than the latter. For the past three and a half years the post of LOP is again vacant and this time it's vacant more because the party in opposition was too uptight to ask for it rather than the lack of numbers.
Even after being handed out a humiliating defeat, worst ever in its history the Congress party has still not woken out of its stupor. The corruption that power brings along had assumed such proportions that the spokespersons of the previous Congress government were not shy of appearing sozzled on prime time TV. And even then nothing has changed, the same people continue with the same attitude of disdain for a coherent opposition strategy and the same unwillingness to present a credible alternative. It's as if Prince Harry enjoys all the royal aristocracy while waiting for his turn to become king !!
A healthy opposition is the essence of a healthy democracy. The earlier Congress realizes this and gets ready to assume the role the better it would be for the country. At the moment the congress chieftains are too busy enjoying and safeguarding the spoils of their previous terms in power and hoping that their sunny days will return soon !!
As the Congress party has remained in power for almost 60 years, larger part of which has been without any opposition even in name it should be ready to patiently hear out the "opposition" now. Being a patient listener is perhaps a more important quality for Parliamentary democracy than being a resentful disruptor. Ideally, the present opposition should be open to all the pending criticism of the years gone by and still have the heart to generously appreciate the present government where ever and when ever it deserves to be. Is it asking too much from RaGa ?Well being the leader of a healthy constructive opposition in a vibrant mature democracy certainly isn't easy, especially when one has to make up for the past sixty years !!!
- Saurabh Agrawal
It may come as a surprise to many but actually in the seventy odd years it has been in only the last few years that we have had a opposition worthy of being counted upon and now that the opposition has won and is in power, we again don't have an opposition !!
The congress party having been in power for over five decades never required to don the mantle of the opposition and hence did not bother to learn the art. The others managed to get their act together and have defeated the congress, but the latter instead of diligently fulfilling the role it has been now assigned, is content in either waiting for the party in power to commit a fatal blunder or at the best resorts to its dirty tricks department to cause an unhealthy disruption.
As is evident that in the past three and a half years the main opposition party has had no coherent policy or strategy on any of the numerous reforms and issues raised the present day government. It is quite happy with the maverick showjumping of their party president into political arena as 'much needed breaks' from serious 'working' holidays abroad. It would be much better if the congress sheds its grand old mantle and presents a more constructive ideology in the nation's interest at the earliest.
Today, one may agree or disagree with the policies of the present government but every person who has the nation's interest in his mind yearns for a credible and sensible opposition, an opposition which is not obstructionist but constructive. For our democracy to be truly vibrant and mature it is absolutely imperative, but why is it that our system is lacking in it. Lets look what our past opposition was like.
Well surprisingly, our country, our Lok Sabha did not have a leader of opposition till 1969 !! The post was vacant for two decades after we became a Republic in 1950. In 1945 the Congress party won the election for representatives with the promise of an undivided India. The 'betrayal' of partition could have easily turned the country to the main opposition party at that time the Hindu Maha Sabha(HMS). But the turn of events of the assassination of Mahatama Gandhi led to Pandit Nehru banning the HMS and soon the main opposition crumbled. The fact that a multi-party democracy was chosen instead of a two party system at the center ensured that the opposition remained fragmented and meant that no opposition party had the requisite 10% of the seats of the Lok-Sabha to be eligible for the post of Leader of the Opposition (LOP).
Just for the records the first leader of Opposition in Lok-sabha was Ram Suhag Singh from Congress (S) a break away faction of the Indian National Congress and that too for just a period of one year from Dec '69 to '70.
Thus, the opposition in the first four Lok-Sabhas constituted of several small parties and independent candidates with no single group even coming close to the 10% mark but strangely enough, all the parliamentarians did not find it necessary to make any constitutional changes to enable even a namesake opposition !!
Then again the post was vacant for seven years, till after the imposed Emergency (75-77), a hastily cobbled up Janata Party came to power, only for a short period of two years leaders from Congress(I) 'had to become' leader of opposition. Notably Mrs Gandhi chose not to be the LOP and when Indira Gandhi regained power in '79 , JagJivan Ram managed to remain the LOP for barely a period of one month following which, again there was a 'comfortable' period of 10 years with no credible opposition and no LOP !!
It was only after Rajiv Gandhi whittled away a unassailable mandate of 410 for the Congress (after '84, and now renamed Indian National Congress) that he had to don the mantle of the leader of opposition for a period of one year till Dec '90. It was a first for Nehru family !
Effectively for 40 years our democratic country did not have an effective opposition to the ruling dispensation, and for 38 out of these 40 years the Congress party was the 'ruling' party. Would it have been better not just for our country but also our democracy if we had a robust and responsible opposition in these all important formative years of our country ? Seeing the magnitude of the problems that had confronted our nation during these four decades, we now realize in hindsight, that several of the decisions taking by the government in power did not turn out in our best interests as a nation. A healthy opposition may have played a corrective role in several such difficult junctures. Another serious side effect has been the ruling dispensation developed a sort of addiction to the unbridled authority and the certainty of power, signs of which are glaringly visible even now.
Since the '90 the Bhartiya Janata Party has been in opposition and had a Leader of Opposition for close to 18 years while the Congress has donned the role for a little over 5 years. By most observers the former has played a more constructive role in the opposition than the latter. For the past three and a half years the post of LOP is again vacant and this time it's vacant more because the party in opposition was too uptight to ask for it rather than the lack of numbers.
Even after being handed out a humiliating defeat, worst ever in its history the Congress party has still not woken out of its stupor. The corruption that power brings along had assumed such proportions that the spokespersons of the previous Congress government were not shy of appearing sozzled on prime time TV. And even then nothing has changed, the same people continue with the same attitude of disdain for a coherent opposition strategy and the same unwillingness to present a credible alternative. It's as if Prince Harry enjoys all the royal aristocracy while waiting for his turn to become king !!
A healthy opposition is the essence of a healthy democracy. The earlier Congress realizes this and gets ready to assume the role the better it would be for the country. At the moment the congress chieftains are too busy enjoying and safeguarding the spoils of their previous terms in power and hoping that their sunny days will return soon !!
As the Congress party has remained in power for almost 60 years, larger part of which has been without any opposition even in name it should be ready to patiently hear out the "opposition" now. Being a patient listener is perhaps a more important quality for Parliamentary democracy than being a resentful disruptor. Ideally, the present opposition should be open to all the pending criticism of the years gone by and still have the heart to generously appreciate the present government where ever and when ever it deserves to be. Is it asking too much from RaGa ?Well being the leader of a healthy constructive opposition in a vibrant mature democracy certainly isn't easy, especially when one has to make up for the past sixty years !!!
- Saurabh Agrawal
Well written Saurabh. It is indeed lamentable that even after so many decades Indian democracy still lacks the counterbalance of an effective and constructive opposition. Whoever sits in the opposition is usually rendered so weak or ineffectual that the balance of democracy is never right. I hope that the main opposition party makes up for decades of sins by realising its role and fulfilling it effectively.
ReplyDeleteThank you Divya. Hope the leaders also realise that there is something called a constructive opposition.
Delete