There is a virtual meltdown in the world of opinion writers and influencers opposed to the BJP and Narendra Modi after Droupadi Murmu’s election as the 15th President of the Republic. Not that anyone expected Yashwant Sinha to win. But what has rattled the pundits is the unravelling of the chimaera of Opposition unity before the elections.
Compounding the wound was dissent about Margaret Alva’s candidature even before she could start her campaign — with Mamata Banerjee announcing that Trinamool Congress is going to abstain from voting because she was not part of the consultation process. Though there are some strenuous attempts at showing Murmu’s victory was not as resounding as it is being made out to be because she polled fewer votes than many of her predecessors, the sense of despondency is palpable.
After every debacle, well-wishers of Congress (surprisingly, there are still many) within the media and public intellectuals get into an overdrive offering advice on how to revive India’s Grand Old Party. But on this occasion even they appear to be at a loss for suggestions. Hence, a broad-spectrum prescription of “re-inventing” the party. Even they know that a radical surgery is not possible with the Gandhi family at its helm. Solutions, if any, have to be keeping the Gandhis at the centre.
The role of an effective Opposition is far too serious to be left to a party that is itself mired in existentialism. The leadership vacuum and strategic void gives a free run to the ruling party, which is happy to allow the distractions and carry on business as usual. By pursuing the tactics of confrontation at every step the Opposition walks straight into the trap laid by the ruling party. Though they may enjoy the face-time before TV cameras and prime-time debates on news channels, the nation is short-changed by a chronically dysfunctional Parliament. So, rather than the Congress that seems to be in a state of terminal, it is the other Opposition parties that need to reinvent themselves.
It has been said many times over that they have to move beyond the single point agenda of removing Narendra Modi. By relentlessly running down Modi they may be earning brownie points from their elite domestic constituencies and the woke media of the West — but they end up further bolstering Narendra Modi’s image among BJP’s core supporters.
The Opposition needs to be realistic in their quest for an alternative ‘face’ to take on Narendra Modi. Modi has developed a larger than life persona which none of them can match at least as of now — no matter the level of popularity they may enjoy in their respective turfs. In fact, it would not be wrong to say that Narendra Modi as Chief Minister of Gujarat had a higher national profile than any of the current set of regional leaders.
Next, the regional leaders must overcome their parochial image and demonstrate the vision and capability to lead the nation. Even as a Chief Minister, Narendra Modi presented alternative ideas along with every criticism of the UPA government. Only negative campaigning, junking everything the government does or proposes will not take them further. Protests and walkouts serve a limited purpose. Accusing the government of “running away” without a counter argument on the table would be giving the government in every match. Simply trying to stall or scuttle every action of the government is like scoring one self-goal after another. The Opposition must understand that the judiciary cannot be a substitute for the floor of the House.
There are two other fallacies that afflict the opposition. First, they believe much of Modi’s popularity comes from smart Public Relations. This has led to a competitive appeasement of media by state governments through advertisement support. In doing so they tend to undercut each other. Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly proven relaunching a defective product with new packaging does not fool the consumer. Also marketing cannot be outsourced to consultants like Prashant Kishore unless the owners are invested in the brand.
Second, is the bogey of BJP using investigative agencies to keep the opposition parties on the back foot. Even if there is some merit in the argument, crying wolf and playing the “victim card” will not help. It is clear that the Narendra Modi government does not believe in the old “Glass House” theory of not throwing stones at adversaries. It is willing to take calculated risks. The opposition parties will have to deal with raids and investigations on their own steam.
To move forward leaders must eschew their ego and national ambitions for the time being and be seen to genuinely put the nation before self. Faking it will not work as the cracks become apparent at the slightest stress as we saw during the presidential elections. There has to be an honest intent, and not lip service, to let a natural leader emerge during the process for the larger objective. A nomination of a leader (as was done by Jaiprakash Narayan for Morarji Desai) or finding a compromise candidate like HD Deve Gowda would be the recipe of another failed experiment.
Ultimately it is neither a game of arithmetic nor one of chemistry. It has to be physics where the sum has to be greater than the parts. That calls for a large heart and a lofty mind which is not available on the shelf.
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