Opinion To see a chance

The Centre’s move to discontinue Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes may well trigger a reconfiguration of the space of the political opposition. It is also likely to upset the government’s expectation of a productive winter session of Parliament, which begins this week on Wednesday. The Union government’s potentially far-reaching move against black money has, in the immediate term, led to a cash crunch and a section of the Opposition has spotted an opportunity in the disruption. What is also evident, however, is that the issue has as much divided Opposition parties across the ideological divide, as it seems to have brought them together.

Nothing illustrates the odds against the consolidation of Opposition forces better than the response that Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee’s overtures to parties opposed to the BJP have received. She, along with the CPM, was the first off the block to attack the prime minister’s demonetisation policy as unworkable and anti-people. In an unprecedented gesture, Mamata reached out to the CPM, her main foe in politics, and invited the comrades to form a united front against the government. The CPM has been non-committal in its response. Similarly, the JD(U) has supported the government’s initiative though Nitish Kumar leads a coalition government that includes the RJD and the Congress, who have both been critical of the policy, in Bihar. Another regional leader, Naveen Patnaik, has welcomed the government’s move, despite his party’s anti-BJP position on many other issues. Two factors appear to be influencing the response of the Opposition parties and preventing the formation of a broad anti-BJP platform on this issue. One, in many states the competition is between regional outfits. For instance, the CPM’s inability to build a common front with the Trinamool has to do with political competition in West Bengal and Tripura. Two, parties are unsure if opposing a policy that is ostensibly against black money makes for good tactics.

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One thing seems clear: The Congress has once again failed to emerge as the rallying point for the Opposition. Banerjee’s fleet-footedness is a pointer to the fact that the Opposition space is ripe for reconfiguration and several regional politicians are eyeing a leadership role. The Congress, despite its pan-Indian presence, is not assured of leading the Opposition charge in the coming days.