Washed out

India8217;s political discourse hit another low with former Orissa Chief Minister J.B. Patnaik and his Congress colleague Nalinikanta Mohanty8217;s allegation that the Orissa floods are 8220;manmade8221;, intended to focus attention away from the Kandhamal violence. Nineteen districts in Orissa have been affected by the Mahanadi floods, with about 725 villages still cut-off, about 45 lakh people ruined and at least 68 dead. What lightheadedness makes our leaders view a human disaster of this proportion as an opportunity to produce ridiculous arguments for political gains? A couple of months ago, we saw the BJP8217;s Sushma Swaraj alleging that the Bangalore and Ahmedabad blasts were a conspiracy by the UPA government 8220;to divert attention from the cash-for-votes scandal8221;. The Orissa Congress leaders8217; charge that the Naveen Patnaik government deliberately allowed the water level at the Hirakud reservoir to rise above the danger mark and thereby cause the floods must rank at the same level of absurdity.

Sitting in opposition is not a laissez-passer to the abdication of administrative and political responsibility. But our parties, including the two big national ones, continue to demonstrate their inability to treat it otherwise. Instead of indulging in foolhardy politics, the Congress should introspect to determine if J.B. Patnaik8217;s comment doesn8217;t stem from the party8217;s own inability to speak up on violence against minorities. Patnaik may not be the state Congress chief, but the party must rein in, or distance itself from, those who speak unwisely on its behalf. Ironically, the former CM8217;s statement can be construed as diverting attention from the Congress8217;s failure to be a responsible and effective opposition in Orissa.

A democratic opposition is supposed to exercise vigilance on the government, examine the latter8217;s policies and actions, criticise what it perceives wrongly done and offer alternatives. The object is to keep debate on a sane, rational plane. The authenticity of India as a mature democracy comes into question every time an opposition party displays such irresponsibility and fails to live up to its ideal 8212; that of a constructive and not of a nihilistic and cynical critic.