The moderates among the firefighters are losing significance; that’s how the middle space fades. Wrecking the center space is a component
of the BJP’s strategy. Right-wing politics, however, strengthens the
case for its political opposite — the left-wing. The ruling disposition
is aware of this paradox; that is probably why it actively hunts Left
sympathizers. The BJP’s strategy has been — shrink the middle space,
corner the Left, cultivate a landscape for the Right and its hangers-on.
Under such circumstances, you could resign to playing free market with
democratic politics. You can argue that the Opposition will sort itself
out naturally and, eventually, produce a credible alternative. However
there is a danger.
In their extreme avatars, neither the political Right nor the political Left is of course
democratic. The right-wing in India has amply and unapologetically
shown its appetite for insensitivity and authoritarianism. Because its
footprint in India never matched that of the BJP, the Left parties have
isolated incidents of comparable
weakness being exposed. In states where they enjoyed political power,
there have been instances of excess. However, as a marginal Opposition,
mainstream Left parties — not the fringe ones — are compelled to be
democratic. The Left has not been guilty of an Emergency like the
Congress or of polarizing politics and divisive rule like the BJP. If
the Right was to continue its current streak and the Left was to get
empowered through progressive clearing of the middle space, then there
is the danger of reducing our choice to one of two formations inclined
to authority and differentiated only by ideology. If our goal is a
modern, liberal, inclusive and democratic society, then we need
moderates from both sides as prime choice with enough mutual distinction
for them.
Although the Congress along side another
Opposition parties has, of late, attempted to compete with the BJP in
stridency, its actual value to the Opposition is as a moderating force
and a pan-India glue. Additionally, while many corporates love the BJP,
when it comes to a similar connect in the Opposition the easiest choice
is the Congress. The connect matters because albeit democracy and politics are people-based on paper, you would like
resources to fight elections. Even if you avoid corporate funding for
being a corruptive influence on the system, you can’t avoid the GDP
brigade. The BJP, once again, has followed a scorched earth policy here.
In a bid to secure itself, it has encouraged leading corporates to
create a cozy club. From the ranks of the Opposition, it's the Congress that's best placed to counter this; not because it's
morally superior but because it knows the club, having been there
before. But the question that is clear to the electorate is this: do
these values give Congress the right to dominate the Opposition? Or is that the
Congress more useful as a functional component within an Opposition
fronted by parties capable of fighting and winning elections?
The second step is that of government formation should a future election grant these parties such an opportunity. Parties that refrain from making this exercise murky will genuinely gain the respect of the people, especially of those in the electorate wishing for an end to right-wing rule. For the Congress, focus shouldn’t be the next national election that an Opposition manages to win but the polls thereafter. It is a measure of how challenging the path ahead is and how much the Congress needs to restructure. First the musical notes, then the orchestra, and only after that a maestro, if there is one.
{With input from news agency language) If you like this story, share it with a friend!
We are a non-profit organization. Help us financially to keep our journalism free from government and corporate pressure.
0 Comments