Collective despair of Indians must be Opposition unity’s fulcrum

The spirit of the Constitution of India which upheld peaceful coexistence has been mauled by the Narendra Modi regime

Writing about the contours and the content of Opposition unity is admittedly tough. The narrative is contrived to trek through a trajectory marked by important milestones, some of which are quite visible, and well acquainted with.

Then there are certain milestones which are rooted in the specific histories of the genesis of political parties in different regions. At times, these milestones appear to take the shape of unsurmountable challenges; at least that is how the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) tries to project it. Despite the make-believe nature of this propaganda, the journey of Opposition unity towards the goal of 2024 general elections has begun — with, without, or despite these milestones. That may not be a music to the ears of the ruling BJP, especially if it has genuinely begun believing in its own propaganda.

This journey must be seen in context of the politics and policy framework of the Union government in last nine years. During this period, the party in power (BJP) has been quite successful in ensuring that the national discourse revolves only around polarising issues. More on this later in the article.

The BJP and its leader have received more support than they could have ever imagined from an overwhelming section of mainstream media. As a result, we hopelessly witnessed the collective demise of discussions on the issues of everyday life from India’s public sphere.

Believe it or not, the despair emanating out of this collective hopelessness must be the fulcrum of the Opposition, so that the forgotten ideas, and the concerns of bread and butter are back to the centre of electoral politics in India. Many Opposition parties are thus working to build consensus on prominent questions arising out of the current political climate, which is denting and distorting the beautiful architecture of India.

One of the foremost triggers for almost the entire Opposition coming together is in the economic policy being pursued by the BJP, which not only negates the idea of inclusion, but is also brazenly silent on the front of unemployment and inflation. Not to mention the dubious credentials of the government visa-a-vis the GST, its fiscal policies, and foreign direct investment.

The Modi government’s economic policies have helped a couple of crony capitalists’ islands in the vast ocean of income inequality. Even the BJP’s polarised voters have started looking at the shrinking size of their plates as well as at the large number of unemployed youth within their households. The stand taken by an overwhelming large number of people with the farmers, on issues such as agricultural reforms, minimum support prices (MSP), loan waivers, and land acquisition, at different points of time, have revealed the fictitious grammar of invincibility of the supreme leader.

Another important aspect, conveniently put on the backburner by the votaries of Hindutva politics, relates to social justice in general, and the demand for caste census in particular. Any political party in a democracy like ours should have an unambiguous position on the adequate representation of marginalised communities, particularly the Dalits and the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), as enshrined in the Constitution of India.

The momentum gathered by the demand for a caste-based census motivated the Bihar government to go for the state-specific survey, after the demand was met with rejection from the Narendra Modi-led government. Participation and representation of marginalised communities from the structures and institutions of the government has been grossly inadequate. An accurate assessment of the situation through the caste-based census would enable the legitimate demand for adequate measures, including reservations.

Earlier, I had mentioned about the BJP’s polarising techniques. Everyone concerned is aware that the spirit of the Constitution which upheld peaceful coexistence has been mauled by the Modi regime. Besides, majoritarian politics has encouraged flagrant violations of human rights and civil liberties in difference parts of India. Opposition parties are likely to come together to counter perceived threats to India's secular fabric and communal harmony. Almost all political parties realise that it is our duty to prepare and present a blueprint before the people of India with respect to our commitment to safeguard human rights, civil liberties, and the independence of institutions such as the judiciary and media. This would certainly include the dismal record on freedom of expression, right to dissent, and protection against arbitrary State actions.

It goes without saying — but is still important to highlight — that this attempt at Opposition unity would be based on regional dynamics, individual party interests, and the political landscape. Unlike the earlier instances of building national coalitions, the goal today is not simply to effect regime change. The motivation now is to provide a progressive alternative to divisive politics and empty rhetoric, which has left us Indians despondent.

(Manoj Kumar Jha is an RJD leader, and Member of the Rajya Sabha. Twitter: @manojkjhadu.)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.