Idea Exchange: ‘The BJP wants a monarchy… there is no force questioning it besides the Opposition parties’

Dr Kanimozhi NVN Somu: The BJP does not want an Opposition. The current government will appreciate if the MPs in the Opposition don’t hear, see, or speak because they don’t allow us to talk. It’s not only the ruling party that doesn’t allow us to talk, it’s also the chairpersons in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. There isn’t any equal division between the Opposition and the ruling government. They are always in favour of the current government. In the Lok Sabha, it’s worse as there is no Deputy Chairman. The term is almost over and the Opposition still hasn’t appointed a Deputy Chairman. In Rajya Sabha, the Chairman — the Vice President of India, who’s above all the parties — seems to be in support of the sitting government. For the Sansad TV broadcasts, the cameras are fixed only on one side of the new Parliament building. We are never shown. None of the Opposition members are shown even if they are speaking. They want a monarchy government.

Gaurav Gogoi: There is no other force challenging and questioning the BJP besides the Opposition parties. The media is unable to question this government and hold its ministers responsible for the flaws. Other forums, which are available to the public, such as the Right to Information, judiciary, and the bureaucracy are not on the side of citizens but are on the side of the government. The Opposition is the last line of defence and is the only force available today, which is fighting this government and holding it accountable. Not for the sake of politics or our electoral future but for the people of India. For the farmers who deserve a better income, for the young people who deserve a better employment scenario, for women who need to feel safer, for the scheduled castes who need to have their self-respect and dignity no matter where they study or where they work or how they choose to marry and for the Scheduled Tribes to protect their forests, language and the indigenous culture. The trajectory that the BJP has taken is extremely dangerous. Don’t look at the suspension of 146 lawmakers in isolation. If the BJP continues unchecked and unrivalled, things will only get worse for everyone. The way this government, under PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah is ruling, it is dangerous for India, Indian democracy, and the Indian Constitution. That’s why the role of the Opposition has never been as important as it is today.

John Brittas: More than my future, I am concerned about the future of this nation and the future of all the facets of a parliamentary democracy. As somebody from the media, I’ve been seeing this Parliament since 1987. It is a pale shadow of the Parliament that I used to report on in the ’80s or ’90s. We may win an election or lose an election but just think about the country’s plight. The tenet of parliamentary democracy simply means that the executive needs to be accountable to the Parliament and the MPs need to be accountable to people. Do you see any sort of accountability of the executive to the Parliament? The first tenet is completely in shambles. There used to be a synchronicity between the second pillar — the Parliament — and the fourth pillar — the media. Do you see any reflection of the media in the Parliament? The parliamentary democracy which we used to witness is nowhere in the picture. The future of the Opposition involves the question of the future of this nation. Earlier, it was said that the primary task of running the Parliament rests with the ruling party. Now, the dictum is that if the Opposition is ready to toe our line, we will run the Parliament, otherwise, we will not run the Parliament. Moreover, if the PM stays away from the Parliament, if the executive is not accountable, if questions are not answered, if the committees are not functional, and if the bills are not vetted by the parliamentary standing committees or joint committees, what is the purpose of this parliamentary democracy? Do you think this will end there? Whatever is remaining, it will just evaporate.

The cardinal question is how to save the nation from an almost fascist situation, wherein the Constitution is protected. It is only by protecting democracy that you can protect the Constitution

LIZ MATHEW: What is the way forward?

Gogoi : I must give credit to all the Opposition parties because they’ve all spoken in one voice to say that we are here defending the idea of India. For that, our political interests take a backseat. There might be voices in our respective state units that have a different argument, but we’ve all gone ahead to forge a national consensus, which is the INDIA Alliance. I think that’s a great sign of hope. That has already created ripples within the ruling party. The BJP does not know how to respond to the INDIA Alliance. Sometimes they make it an India versus Bharat debate. Then they stop calling us INDIA. They seem to have an allergy to the word INDIA. The PM and the BJP have not found an effective counter to the INDIA Alliance. So the Opposition, in a very short period, has sacrificed respective interests to come together for a national cause on a national consensus to build the INDIA Alliance. I’m quite confident that the combined intellectual, organisational and ideological weight of the Opposition parties of India will provide a ray of hope in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections

Brittas: It is not the Opposition coming to power. It is not a question of the Congress forming the government, the CPI(M) having a bit of power, or the DMK being part of the government. The cardinal question is how to save the nation from an almost fascist situation, wherein the Constitution is protected. The Constitution can be protected not because a government is there. It is only by protecting democracy that you can protect the Constitution. There could be differences in opinion, but there is a realisation that has driven these Opposition parties to create an alliance, which would be effective enough to checkmate the BJP and the RSS.

LIZ MATHEW: Protecting the Constitution and democracy is significant but in any election, political parties have to first construct a narrative and then implement it to consolidate the votes. How far has the INDIA Alliance succeeded in it?

Kanimozhi: The INDIA Alliance is already on the dais and is ready to fight against the BJP. It has been constructed well and in the last meeting, we came up with the name of a PM candidate. Except for one person, rest of the parties have accepted it. All of us agree that the BJP should not be ruling us again. The nation should be saved. This is a one-line motto. We already saw in the last parliamentary session that the three laws that have been passed, their names have been changed — the Indian Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Code, and the Indian Evidence Act. We know what kind of repercussions it’s going to cause because what was existing — the construction of law and the courts — was all going well. I don’t think there was any need to bring in such laws. When they can change these laws, tomorrow if they are going to sit in power, they will change the whole country and will say that this is what you need to be. To save the people from democracy fading away, we will all stand in line and gear towards the 2024 elections.

To visit the temple is a matter of deep personal faith. To put the entire significance of the temple and Lord Ram around this one particular event that the government is organising, we all need to introspect that

Manoj CG: You’re going into an election against a party that has won two Lok Sabha elections while the Opposition parties have had individual successes in states. What is a credible counter-narrative to the BJP, apart from the fact that you have all come together to unseat the BJP from power?

Gogoi: Let us not underestimate the wisdom of the Indian voter. Indian people in the past, if you look at 2003, voted for the BJP in three state elections in north India, and then the BJP was voted out of power in 2004. Voices in the media and even the BJP would like to say that for 2024, the BJP has a strong narrative and the Opposition does not. Many people and voices in India are angry and frustrated. The passing of criminal laws has seen nationwide repercussions. You’ve had truckers and motorists on strike across the nation. In Assam, there has been a lot of angst and anguish related to the draconian provisions in the new criminal laws. So there is a lot of resentment. This is a government that has created high inflation and high unemployment. It has created a record number of billionaires. It has created problems related to malnutrition and widened inequality. People can see that if anyone questions PM Modi, whether it’s the media, the courts or civil society, there are draconian provisions that are used to crack down on any independent thinking. Therefore, people are rightly worried. Young people want to be in a country where the economic future is secure. Remember that the India that was founded at the time of Independence was an India in which all religions, regions, languages and cultures fought together and stood united. That is the India that people want to see today — a united India. It is important for all parties in the INDIA alliance to introspect, look within themselves and strengthen their own cadres and organisations. And that is what we are doing. Only a stronger Congress will help a stronger INDIA Alliance.

MANOJ CG: In Kerala, an alliance can’t exist between the Left and the Congress. In Bengal, there is again very little chance of the Left entering a seat-sharing pact with the Trinamool Congress. Is it a political and not an electoral alliance for the Left?

John Brittas: This is how broad-thinking we are. We’ll not be looking for more seats, but a situation wherein we need to defeat the BJP. We fought the Congress, and then we came to Delhi and supported them unconditionally to form a government. To keep away BJP. We are not looking at picking up one seat or two seats from here and there. We may not benefit from being part of the INDIA alliance but the nation will. We want our inputs given to this alliance, which needs to defeat the BJP.

LIZ MATHEW: According to the BJP, Ayodhya is not a political moment. But hasn’t the Opposition, by delaying their decision to attend or not, walked into a trap? Now the BJP is calling the Opposition parties anti-Sanatana.

Gaurav Gogoi: Many people want to visit the temple. And it is also their choice when they want to visit the temple. It is a matter of deep personal faith. To put the entire significance of the temple and ord Ram around this one particular event that the government is organising, we all need to introspect.

Lalmani Verma: Would the BJP get any political mileage from the Ram temple opening ceremony? What is the Opposition’s counter-strategy?

Brittas: There have been many questions about the stand of the Congress Party, whether they’re going to participate in that temple inauguration or not. Have you asked the PM if it is right to misuse religion for political purposes? This is blatantly mixing religion with politics, which the country hasn’t seen so far. The PM of this country wearing the attire of the high priest… Let us look at the preamble of this Indian Constitution, at how this secular democratic polity evolved. Has there been any question to the BJP or the PM, who has not done a press conference in the last 10 years?

Kanimozhi: Since there is going to be political mileage, they are making a whole hype out of it. It is not only where the temple is. They have requested almost all the states of the country to start with pujas from January 5, till the inauguration of the Ram temple is over. They are trying to use religion to politicise the country and convert it into votes. Otherwise, when there is a temple constructed in a state, that state would be the only place where all this rejoicing happens. They want to do it across India because they want to say yes, it is BJP, it is Modi.

LIZ MATHEW: How does this suspension of the MPs affect the system of parliamentary democracy?

Brittas: More than 35 crore people are unrepresented. Kerala is completely unrepresented in Parliament. Think about the bills that have been passed – three criminal bills. There are important stages of vetting or perusal of a bill. And at least the Opposition members will be in a position to raise points about the various clauses or provisions. I’m unable to spell these three bills because they are in Sanskrit and it might take a year or two to spell them. There are 1000 provisions. One provision, they would have talked about and that’s why the truck drivers agitated over that. There are standing committees, and as a suspended member, I am unable to attend the IT standing committee. So the whole sort of Parliamentary discourse and to ensure the accountability of the executive to the Parliament, gets completely evaporated when the opposition is no longer part of the discourse there. Various pretexts are made to ensure that the Parliament is completely stalled. So it’s not the Opposition, which is stalling the Parliament. It is the government precisely stalling and deserting the Parliament. Imagine if the passes were issued by an MP from the minority religion, wouldn’t UAPA be invoked? Don’t you think that particular MP who released the pass for those visitors should have been suspended? If Gaurav had issued the pass, what would have happened?