Opposition must experiment again to contain BJP

It is not the first time that Indian Opposition is confronting a hegemonic power in New Delhi. Congress party enjoyed this hegemonic status for nearly 35 years, till it was overtaken by the combined Opposition. The general election of 1977 was the completion of an exercise which the entire Opposition had experimented with. From 1947-2014, Opposition in Indian politics took important decisions to check power hegemony. It is post- 2014 that Opposition has failed to experiment and take importantpolitical decisions to stop hegemonic power in New Delhi.

The primary reason for this is the civil war which is taking place within the Indian National Congress and inability of the biggest Opposition party to reconstitute itself democratically. It has failed to create an independent Congress Working Committee and has a stop-gap reluctant President to run the show. Today’s state is far removed from the vigour leaders in Opposition demonstrated to creatively engage and block ruling parties from stifling democracy.

To begin with, the formation of Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) in 1951 was first such experiment in Indian politics which was supported by RSS and functioned as an electoral front of an organisation which was operating from sidelines after Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination. Jan Sangh could not alter the political framework but played a very crucial role in 1967 and 1977. The first president of BJS was Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. Indian Opposition remained vibrant in the 1950s and also saw Communists coming to power in the state of Kerala which was quickly dismissed by the Congress Party in 1959. But the second big political decision was taken by political doyen C Rajagopalachari who broke away from the Congress in 1959 to form Swatantra Party so that Indian politics could get a viable Opposition.

The party functioned till 1974 but played a crucial role in voicing dissent despite its limited size in Lok Sabha. Swatantra party provided a national platform to the right of centre economic politics. Swatantra Party was finished after Indira Gandhi swept to power in 1971. But even before that another political decision swept India and created shockwaves in Indian politics. This was the rise of Swatantra Vidhayak Dal. It comprised of PSP, BJS, BKD, PSP and SSD. For the first time, ideological differences were kept aside within the Opposition to form a government against the Congress in a number of Indian states.

Socialists who dominated Indian politics took help from BJS to form the government. Ram Manohar Lohia was its architect and the political decision he took redefined Indian politics for the next 40 years.

This experiment was repeated again. The entire Opposition resurrected retired JP Narayan and made him the face of anti-Indira agitation post-1971 war. The Opposition parties came together and formed Janata Party to fight combined elections against Indira Gandhi in 1977. Indira was defeated and the experiment to come together succeeded. Though the Janata Party government fell under its own contradiction and controversy over dual membership of BJS members who were part of JP, but also remained members of RSS. The government fell but it did not create a political limbo.

In the 1980s, BJP came into the picture. RSS did away with Jan Sangh and also adopted Gandhian philosophy in its constitution. Older leaders gave away and India saw the emergence of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani. Then came another important political decision of the Opposition. Both Left parties and BJP came together to support VP Singh’s government to keep Rajiv Gandhi-led Congress out of power. This decision was a repeat of 1967 and 1977 which worked for a short period of time.

The government did not last. In the 90s, another important decision was taken by BJP which ultimately led to the emergence of NDA. LK Advani stepped aside for Vajpayee for want of acceptance. This political decision created stability and first proper non-Congress politician went on to become the Prime Minister as before 1996 every non-Congress PM was a former Congressman. This political decision created another repercussion. It pushed Congress in the Opposition to hunt for alliance partner which it had always avoided. This decision of Congress led to the creation of UPA and defeat of NDA in 2004. Congress continues to hold on to alliances and has refrained from fighting any national election without an alliance.

The last big political decision within the Opposition eco-system was pushed by RSS. The decision was to retire LK Advani and create space for Narendra Modi to become the Prime Ministerial candidate. It led to the defeat of the Congress. It is for this particular reason, the Opposition must experiment with new ideas and faces.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)