General Election to elect 18th Lok Sabha has been concluded successfully. Newly elected members of the Parliament have taken oath. Speaker stands elected and Hon’ble President has delivered her address to the joint session of the Parliament. Congress leader and scion of the first family of the party has occupied the chair of the coveted Leader of opposition, a responsibility that comes with perks & privileges of a Cabinet Minister.
Normally it should be business as usual now onwards for next five years. Acrimonious Bickering and bitterness of electioneering must end now. “We The People of India that is Bharat” have chosen people for different roles. Good or bad the choice has been made and cannot be undone now. Competing alliances, both NDA and INDI Block asked for a mandate to form the government. People thought in their own wisdom better to re-elect NDA and assess performance of INDI Block as responsible opposition.
‘We The People’ understand that the success of democracy depends on the constructive role of opposition parties. They must offer a principled criticism of the policies and practices of the ruling party and uphold accountability of government in the legislature. Opposition is also expected to put forth another view of public opinion.
Unfortunately in recent past “We the People” are witnessing an opposition that plays essentially a negative role. They mostly register their protest or disagreements with disruptions, boycotts and noisy disorders.
“If the ruling party has power, opposition must at least have its say. But at the end of the day, democracy says that opposition must have its say and the government must have its way because it is as per the mandate of the people,” Mr Venkaih Naidu said in his first speech as the Rajya Sabha Chairman. “Democracy is not about numbers but to understand and appreciate each other’s’ point of view. We must debate, discuss, decide and deliver,” he added.
That is what is actually missing. And if indications are the sign of coming events the scenario may not be any different in 18th Lok Sabha as well. It is not the treasury benches only who have to appreciate the viewpoint of opposition. Opposition parties have also a responsibility to appreciate government perspective. Both Ruling party and the opposition are accountable to “We the People” at the end of the day.
Contextual confrontation
The visible confrontation between the ruling alliance and opposition block has a context. 2014 general election for the first time in the history of independent India saw a shift in governance from ruling elite to general masses. We the People of India that is Bharat who were till then owners of their destiny on paper only saw a paradigm shift in governance.
Aided by the latest technology the administration almost eliminated corrupt and inefficient middlemen. For delivery of a minor service like LPG cylinder or a Toilet or an electricity connection the poor, illiterate and deprived citizen found officials looking for the deserving to take the benefit. Financial inclusion with a simple zero balance JanDhan account worked miracles. So did scores of other people centric schemes like Ayushman Bharat and Kissan Samman Nidhi.
This approach was completely different from election time favours or soaps to bribe the voter. The new approach was delivering a rightful owner her/his due without accompanying Ahsaan (obligation).
Both the ruling elite and beneficiaries of the old system of governance were in a real shock. First they thought it to be a temporary one time phenomenon. Volumes of commentaries’ were written to dub the new regime as helpless outsiders, who can do nothing.
“Think of the sheer numbers of officers and intellectuals corrupted by socialistic patterns of grooming who must be transferred from one strategic slot to a more useless one, or offered the golden handshake, or nudged to take the hint, or embroiled in legal procedures before a fresh scaffolding for dutiful implementation of newer blueprints be enforced; how many think-tanks and educational and cultural institutions mired in the socialisation of the ancient regime must be vacated to the distraction of noisy hullabaloos, not all of which are endorsed by an otherwise hands-on media and forward-looking channels”, wrote one in January 2014.
Decade of persistent performance
Re-election of NDA government in 2019 with an improved mandate dazed supporters and managers of the ‘ancient regime’. They began to find out more surprises. Change in voting pattern of hitherto captive vote banks rang the alarm bells. Change was happening at astonishing levels irrespective of distinctions and fault-lines.
Pleasantly for them the decade also saw various forces at global level to be equally unhappy and outraged by the performance of India that is Bharat. They were equally hurt and miffed by sudden denial of access to high offices in New Delhi. Their policy intervention scope and space got squeezed. New regime instead, they found, to successfully unleash the potential of Bharat transforming ‘we the people’ into a confident, aspirational and achieving nation with a universal outlook.
New Horizons of activity at all levels with a transparent, accountable and performance oriented system created an environment of competition. Favouritism replaced by impartiality, pushed cronies out of their comfort zones. An alliance of these forces was only a natural consequence.
Visibly invisible Hands
There are a number of reports published both nationally and internationally that have exposed unprecedented foreign meddling in the Lok Sabha Election 2024. An influential section of global media and academia financially supported by powerful organisations and foundations were involved in a sinister plot of influencing the decision millions of voters through an orchestrated “narrative” peddling campaign.
In a first move of its kind, OpenAI – the company behind ChatGPT – said it disrupted a covert influence campaign originating in Israel that used its models to generate pro-Congress and anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) content and spread those online in a bid to disrupt the on-going election process.
Published reports also indicate unusually high interest of French media in the 2024 elections, particularly highlighting the prominent role of French political scientist Christophe Jaffrelot. French outlets such as Le Monde published numerous articles with manipulated narratives on emotional issues in India. Analysis suggests a coordinated effort to amplify this pre-determined & prejudiced narrative.
Regime change was the motive for these external forces driven primarily by business and financial interest of their companies and or their countries. This intention cannot be attributed to Indian political parties in general, corrupt conduits notwithstanding. They can be at the most termed as opportunist to have used ‘pushed’ narrative to win an election.
Moving Ahead
The election is over and all the elected representatives and their respective political parties have begun to settle in their new roles. We the People now expect all these parties from both sides to usher a new era of democratic norm in the country. Let there be healthy criticism of government and its policies. Let there be constructive criticism of schemes aimed to further improve them, not disrupt their delivery for the fear of political disadvantages.
We The People have been observing parliamentary proceedings with agony and anguish. Respect for elected representatives who indulge undisciplined, unruly and uncontrolled behaviour diminishes considerably irrespective of the party affiliations.
We the people of India that is Bharat actually crave for mature, considerate, proficient and stimulating opposition that can force the government to further accelerate the speed to reach Viksit Bharat destination and help raise the standard of living of 1.4 Billion Indians.
(The author is former Member of the Legislative Council of Jammu Kashmir)
