Rahul Gandhi should learn a lesson or two from other opposition leaders who also were also humiliated in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. BSP chief Mayawati has already alerted her party to get ready for the 2022 U.P. polls. Aam Admi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal has ask his party to be prepared for the 2020 Assembly polls. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has begun her street level fight preparing for the Assembly polls. So the fighting politician would not sulk as Rahul Gandhi did for the past few days. If the general is demoralized, what happens to the foot soldiers?
Rahul Gandhi’s pep talk to the party M.Ps on Saturday sent a right signal that it will fight back in Parliament and outside, as that is what is expected from a responsible opposition leader. He said, "We are 52 MPs. I guarantee you that these 52 MPs will fight against BJP every single inch. We are enough to make BJP jump everyday." But to do this Rahul should come to Parliament regularly and lead them from the front. So far he had been irregular in his Parliament attendance. If the public meetings and rallies brings a leader in direct contact with the people Parliament is where the opposition should take on the government effectively through debates and discussions. Sonia Gandhi optimistically predicted that, “In an unprecedented crisis lies an unprecedented opportunity. …. Undeterred by the many challenges that lie ahead, we will rise again,” she said.
To rise again the party needs to reinvent itself and strengthen the organisation. Rahul Gandhi’s first challenge is to show that the Congress is not a spent force. Secondly, he should make efforts to unite the opposition to function in a cohesive manner in Parliament on issues. Now that the NDA has emerged with 352 seats in Lok Sabha, passing bills will not be a problem for the Modi government. But this is where the Congress and the other opposition parties should be vigilant. An effective opposition does not need the number but it needs members who can raise the issues effectively. Did not Rajiv Gandhi face such turbulent times in Parliament during the Bofors scam days though he had a brute majority of 415 members? A dozen opposition leaders including Madhu Dandavate, Somnath Chatterji, Inderjit Gupta, Jaipal Reddy and Unni krishnan not only raised issues effectively but also saw to it that Rajiv Gandhi lost power in the 1989 elections.
Thirdly, the Congress should try to strengthen the opposition by winning the cooperation of parties like the BJD, YSRCP and TRS to its side in Parliament debates and discussions. Fourthly, though there is no provision of a shadow cabinet in the Indian system, the Congress can think of encouraging their M.Ps to develop expertise in certain domains, which will come handy for the party. After all it has several experienced ex-ministers. Lastly, the party should live in the present and not in its past glory as no legacy however strong can go on forever.
The role of opposition is not to criticize every decision of the government but support issues of public interest. Boycotting Parliament, stalling the business and hitting the streets are not enough. The Modi bashing days are over after his stunning victory in the polls and it is time to look ahead. The ideas of secularism / fundamentalism have no longer any appeal going by the way the BJP is growing. What Congress needs is to find its identity, appeal and a new narrative? After all it has to face several Assembly elections before the next Lok Sabha polls in 2024.Congress as a credible opposition is critical for Indian democracy because despite its losses the party still remains the only political force as a counterbalance to the BJP’s surge.
The Congress should work towards building a cohesive opposition and take note of what Prime Minister Modi said while accepting his prime ministerial speech: “Whatever happened in these elections is in the past, we have to look ahead. We have to take everyone forward, including our staunchest opponents.” If he is looking ahead so should the opposition. For after all, the role of the Opposition is as important as that of the ruling party.(IPA Service)
INDIA
AFTER SCORCHING DEFEAT, CONGRESS BACK UNDER SONIA’S SHADE
CHIEF RAHUL MUST REINVENT GRAND OLD PARTY DURING CRISIS HOUR
Kalyani Shankar - 2019-06-04 09:27
The Congress party has gone back to the tried and tested leadership of Sonia Gandhi by electing her again as the leader of its Parliamentary party in its hour of crisis. Calling it “unprecedented crisis”, Sonia herself acknowledged the numerous challenges confronting the Congress party. Claiming several decisive measures were being mulled to strengthen the organisation she hinted that Rahul Gandhi would continue as the party chief though he had offered his resignation to the Congress Working Committee after the defeat but the CWC had rejected his resignation. It is clear neither the party will give up the Gandhi family nor the family will give up its power over the grand 132-year-old party.