It’s Our Misfortune, The Opposition Never Learns Any Lessons

While the opposition continuing to do its disservice to the cause of democracy, the media is vertically split between the Godi Media and pro-Congress media. While the Godi media is doing what it was expected to, the other media, by and large, is busy celebrating Priyanka Gandhi as the miracle lady whose popularity will turn the table on the BJP

Until Delhi state assembly elections, PM Narendra Modi’s greatest asset was Rahul Gandhi. During the Delhi campaign, Arvind Kejriwal came handy for Modi. With the Congress not taking these elections also seriously, Modi had a field day. And when the Congress jumped into the fray, it targeted Kejriwal and this suited the BJP. Though the BJP’s national agenda is Congress-mukt Bharat, the grand old party (GOP) turned out to be a sort of enemy’s enemy. But the Congress turned out to be more than the best friend for the BJP. Congress might not have worked shoulder to shoulder with the BJP, but it contributed to the latter’s success in more than one way. BJP, thus, has the last laugh having finished Congress and AAP.

Let us not forget the fact that the Congress, particularly the Delhi rank and file, have an axe to grind with AAP which annihilated the GOP in the Capital and fanned the BJP wave created by the Indian Against Corruption led by Anna Hazare. Kejriwal, along with Kiran Bedi, solidly backed the Hazare agitation which also got support from the BJP.

Let us remember the facts that AAP turned out to be highly ambitious and fought the elections in Punjab, Goa, Gujarat and Haryana without any electoral alliances with the Congress. With or without the AAP-Congress alliance, the BJP did prove its mettle in the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi. AAP and Congress scored consecutive ducks in the Lok Sabha poll from Delhi.

Congress committed a blunder (though not for the first time) by ignoring the AAP in Haryana elections and Kejriwal taunted Rahul & Co for being arrogant and overconfident.

Not that we are anti-BJP, but we have been consistently advocating a strong opposition which the Congress alone cannot provide. Likewise, any opposition unity is not possible without the Congress involvement. That was how INDIA Bloc was formed and it did make its presence felt during the last Lok Sabha polls. The unity ensured that the BJP on its own did not get even a simple majority in the Lok Sabha and that it had to depend on the crutches of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Janata Dal (United) led by Nitish Kumar. A strong opposition is a must for democracy to thrive and survive in the people’s interest. An elected autocracy can bulldoze its way to meet its own agenda and ignore the people’s interest and dissent and we have seen many love examples.

But soon after, INDIA bloc lost its sight and as we wrote on January 14, the opposition is dead. Delhi election results turned out to be the epitaph.

It will now take a long way for any opposition party or alliance to come through as the BJP is systematically working to spread and strengthen its roots, pan-India. It does not require any great political strategist to point this out. It is there to be seen by naked eyes.

As we wrote last week, with the media refusing to play the role of an effective opposition, in the absence of politicians ditching the people, there is little hope for any voice of dissent being heard.

As a journalist, I feel very sad that the media by and large has forgotten the fine art of asking questions – the kind of questions that were fearlessly posed to Manmohan Singh when he was the PM. Even the Breakfast with Editors addressed by Gen Parvez Musharaff was a treat to ears and eyes! Today, we do not find mediapersons questioning even the Chief Ministers. Otherwise, you would not have had a CM like Biren Singh clinging on to his seat in Manipur as the tiny north-eastern state continued to burn.

Back to the opposition unity. INDIA bloc stood like a rock behind Kejriwal when he was jailed in connection with an alleged liquor scam. The Congress joined the massive opposition rally despite its differences with Kejriwal. Has the AAP founder forgotten this and decided to go alone in Delhi elections? He was the one who accused the Congress of being overconfident. Look what happened to him. Kejriwal, without realising the BJP’s firepower and microplanning, went to the extent of declaring that the AAP cannot be defeated in lifetime. It is now Rahul Gandhi’s turn to taunt Kejriwal for making tall promises that he would end corruption, clean Yamuna and so on. Rahul says Kejriwal has now fallen flat though the Congress zero.

Even a cursory look at the Delhi poll result tables show us that the AAP could have won at least 14 more seats (than its tally of 22) but for the Congress spoiling the show. The stark reality is that the Congress candidates polled much more votes than the BJP’s winning margins in these seats. There was one seat where Owaisi’s MIM spoiled AAP’s hat-trick.

It appears to be absolutely impossible for the Congress and AAP to come together. There is no Sitaram Yechuri to make Kejriwal and Rahul Gandhi shake hands or hug each other. Uddhav Thackeray has already supported AAP, so did Akhilesh and TMC. Omar Abdullah went to the extent of questioning the relevance of the INDIA bloc if the leaders cannot work together. The alliance has not had a single meeting or addressed any joint rallies post the Lok Sabha aberration, nor has it put forth any common minimum programme that any alliance is expected to do.

INDIA bloc has not worked out any common strategy except for criticising Modi and this helped the BJP strongman play the victim card. Priyanka Gandhi might have ridiculed Modi for showing a ‘mai bechara’ face but this did not help the Congress cut the ice with the voters.

There is no immediate election on cards and Bihar assembly polls are eight to nine months away. Congress in its current style of functioning is in no way to support Tejaswi Yadav against the BJP alliance in the eastern State.

While the opposition continuing to do its disservice to the cause of democracy, the media is vertically split between the Godi Media and pro-Congress media. While the Godi media is doing what it expected to, the other media is busy celebrating Priyanka Gandhi as the miracle lady whose popularity will turn the table on the BJP. But people like me will continue to ask questions knowing fully well that we may not get all the answers.

And people like me do still hope that the Congress will mend its ways and behave like a responsible opposition and realise that one size does not fit all. It must look at new strategies, listen to criticism and take business seriously. The GOP still has some base that needs to be rejuvenated and stronghearted. The new generation has never been on the radar of the non-BJP parties and they do not learn from the impact of double engine sarkars! Pardon me for being pessimistic though I am a strong optimist of democratic India as a nation.

(The columnist is a Mumbai-based author and independent media veteran, running websites and a YouTube channel known for his thought-provoking messaging)