Counterpoint
By Vivekanand Jha*
Can the spark in the Opposition lead to a conflagration in 2024? There is a groundswell of sudden hope in the moribund Opposition camp that, the dead horse which could not be flogged into vibrancy, suddenly has developed a sign of life in itself: The transformation of Nitish Kumar from that of a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) constituent into that of a member of the Opposition.
Ironically, while Bihar’s development has resulted in the final nail in the coffin of Principles and values in politics, it, unequivocally though, has proved to be an elixir for the revival of the Opposition spirit. But then this resurrection of the Opposition has a cost attached to it: The new hope and optimism of the Opposition are premised on the funeral of values and principles which formed the raison d’etre and summum bonum of the Indian Constitution.
Democracy without an Opposition purportedly appears to be like a groom without a marriage party. Indira Gandhi had sought to do it during the emergency: she did everything to finish the opposition. Narendra Modi today, allegedly following the same path with his clarion call of ‘ Congress Mukt Bharat‘, which, if extrapolated, connotes the entire opposition. Modi’s detractors allege that the involvement of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in raiding opposition leaders and ministers –the travails of Partha Chatterjee and Arpita Mukherjee in West Bengal and Sanjay Rout in Maharashtra–are some of the instances of the persecution of the Opposition being witnessed in today’s Modi raj. So can it be said that the Opposition disintegrated as it stood, coerced further by the investigative agencies, and appeared to have gone into ICU, before this unsavoury episode of Nitish Kumar, has put the ventilator back towards its revival?
The resurrection of this hope and optimism in opposition has come with a rider attached: we have to defeat Narendra Modi in 2024! This is the singular agenda for the opposition which now, after Nitish Kumar’s break up with NDA, has begun resonating with the Opposition to put in place a rag-tag coalition in place in 2024 by defeating Narendra Modi.
With the benefits of hindsight, the unpleasant experiment of United Front rule of thirteen parties forthwith springs up in our minds: how the Congress made a mockery of democracy by propping one after another candidate before pushing India to another general election in 1998 and again in 1999. How Deve Gowda was given the marching order before I.K.Gujaral was brought in. Those indeed were the days when the Communist Party of India-Marxist(CPIM) and CPI( Communist Party of India) were the kingmakers: there was no single day when Communist leaders like Harkishan Singh Surjeet, A.B. Bardhan and Raja were not seen on TV camera gushing forth with their views on the political developments happening behind the scene. Significantly, in view of the fractured mandate of the people then, few political brokers took the fullest advantages of the same and tried to manipulate the mandate of the people in the way it suited them.
This piece under ‘Counterpoint’ appears at such times when the nation is commemorating its 75th independence celebration. As we are celebrating our 75th independence day under the leadership of Narendra Modi, there is again a spark that has come to awaken the Opposition from its deep slumber due to the Nitish factor. However, whether this spark can lead to a conflagration, is anyone’s guess. Modi, despite all his flaws still remains powerful with a carefully crafted image of a Hindu nationalist at a time when we are immersed in celebrating our independence day with newfound energy and fervour. Happy 75th independence day to all!
*Vivekanand Jha is an author, academician and public intellectual. He is the author of Yes, I can Achieve (Wisdom Publication), Yes, I am Bihari (Peacock Publication), Delhi Beckons: RaGa for NaMo (Virtuous Publication), The Living Legends of Mithila (Virtuous Publication), The Making of Narendra Modi, Unmaking of Jawaharlal (Novelty), and The People’s Leader (Prabhat Publication). His upcoming book is A Journey From Rajneeti to Lokneeti. The views expressed are personal.
