Opinion Opposition to what?

If you watched the demonstrations,you may have observed that there was almost no sign of the ‘peepul’. It was political workers who thronged the streets of Mumbai and Delhi and not that revered creature,the ‘common man’. This could be because the average Indian is sick to death of this kind of protest but I think there could be another reason as well.

Could it be that the ‘common man’ sees no threat to his interests from FDI in retail? Could it be that farmers see the opening up of new markets and opportunities in the government’s latest economic reform? And,could it be that urban consumers see the possibility of more choices and lower prices? I believe so because the people are no longer as stupid and naïve as our political leaders like to think.

It is not that they would not rally for a real cause. Anna Hazare brought thousands into the streets when he declared war on corruption. So,if a political party had the good sense to start demanding better nutrition and healthcare,in view of this shaming new report,I believe that it would increase its chances of winning a full majority in 2014. But,our Opposition parties remain stuck in a time warp not just in their political methods but in their political ideas. Not a single political party has come up with a new idea since Lal Krishna Advani invented Hindutva in the early nineties.

Speaking of Mr Advani,may I say that I found it hard not to laugh out loud when he demanded a special session of Parliament to discuss FDI in retail. Special session? Special session? For what? So that his party can reduce it to a farce by shouting slogans and making a racket instead of allowing rational debate?

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s strategy over CAG reports and corruption has been so confused and directionless that it has ended up making the government look better than it deserves to. So on the one hand,we have senior leaders of the BJP berating Congress ministers for sneering at the CAG. You have no right to diminish the status of constitutional institutions,they say,while at the same time,showing their own disdain for Parliament by using it as a forum for slogan shouting and hooliganism. What is even more hilarious is their response when asked why they wasted a whole session of Parliament. The Congress Party did it too when it was in Opposition,BJP spokesmen say on national television,revealing not just their bankruptcy of thought but their sneaking admiration for Congress. How pathetic is that?

Sadly,the BJP looks no worse than the rest of the Opposition. At least we know for sure that it is an Opposition party. In the case of Mulayam,Mamata,Mayawati and,now even Nitish Kumar,it is not at all clear where they stand. Are they really in opposition or only playing at it? Any of these worthies could save the government from collapse if the need arises because they appear not to be sure if they want an early election or not. Could it be because secretly they sense that the distances between them and the ‘peepul’ have grown so much that they no longer know what their chances are?

Meanwhile,if there is one expression that has begun to get seriously on my nerves,it is ‘anti-people’. Political parties who are more worried about foreign investment than about the horrible fact that half of Indian children are undernourished have no right to use it. How sad that if there is one thing that makes the government of Dr Manmohan Singh look quite good,it is our Opposition parties.

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