In the past few months, India has witnessed a perceptible increase in vendetta and hate politics. While the demolition of the homes of Muslim protesters by dubbing the structures as illegal has become the new normal, central agencies are continuously harassing the leaders of opposition parties. In this din, no coherent voice of the opposition is audible. Whether it is the Rajya Sabha or the presidential elections now, taking a stand on hate and vendetta politics is merely a matter of positioning oneself on social media.
The row over the controversial remarks on the Prophet Muhammad by the expelled BJP leaders Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal caused a pan-India uproar. Many states witnessed large protests by the Muslim community, and in some places, these protests turned violent.
While BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh demolished the homes of some protesters, conveniently accused of being the masterminds of the unrest, the opposition-ruled states did little except engage in a blame game. For example, when protesters turned violent in Howrah, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appealed for peace and said,"... It is the BJP's sin, why should the people suffer?"
In a democracy, there is no place for violence. The incessant spewing of hate by the leaders of the BJP has vitiated the situation. Now, the people of India need a solution and an alternative. This solution cannot be arrived at by blaming minorities arbitrarily. While legal action and maintaining peace are essential, acknowledging the anger and sending a message of unity is also required.
The need of the hour is for the Opposition to send an unambiguous and united message of peace. But, unfortunately, in India, opposition parties only talk about unity before elections; in the run-up to the polls, they showcase their differences. For example, the Congress party has reportedly reached out to parties inimical to the BJP to agree on a consensus candidate for the presidential poll. These leaders include West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee.
After the feelers, Banerjee has called for a meeting of 'like-minded' parties on June 15 in Delhi. The Congress party has frowned at this move. One thing is clear: There is no opposition unity. Every leader is keen to become the face of the Opposition.
Similarly, the recent Rajya Sabha elections highlighted the plight of the Congress party. While Ashok Gehlot, the chief minister of Rajasthan, was successful in keeping his flock together; in Haryana, the Congress leaders cross-voted and the Rajya Sabha candidate of the party, Ajay Maken, lost. The Congress party has already lost Punjab, one of the three states it previously ruled.
The party has also witnessed desertions at the top. This emits the message that the party is not robust enough to lead the pack. Then, what is the solution? No one has the answer, and that is the reality.
It would be wrong to say that the opposition parties do not get opportunities to exhibit a united front. There is no let-up in the political vendetta against opposition parties; this manifests primarily in use of central agencies to harass the leaders. The Enforcement Directorate questioned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for over ten hours on Monday. Likewise, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and his wife have been at the receiving end of the ED. Recently, the same central agency called Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren for questioning. Satyender Jain, the health minister of Delhi and Aam Aadmi Party leader, was arrested by the ED only a few weeks ago. The examples are innumerable. But when these vendettas play out for one opposition party, the others remain silent.
The hyper-nationalist and Hindutva-based political agenda of the BJP (which is well-known to every citizen) and the unceasing hate-mongering of the minorities have resulted in making them live in a state of perpetual fear.
Today, the entire world is looking at India. Even organisations like Al-Qaeda are openly threatening India. Having nurtured and supported leaders like Nupur Sharma for years, the ruling party has become a party of “fringe elements” itself.
Right now, it is pertinent to ask: what is the alternative? It is the responsibility of the Opposition to come together and show the way. When the country is burning, if the opposition leaders decide to become social media votaries, then whom will the people trust? Lack of opposition is dangerous for any democracy, but in India, with every passing day, opposition unity is becoming illusory. If these parties stay in their high seats and ignore reality, the result will be an unbridled politics of hatred and revenge. It is time to ensure that in the world’s largest democracy, there is politics beyond hatred and the opposition leaders unite to present an alternative to the people.
(The author is an independent journalist based in Kolkata and a former policy research fellow at the Delhi Assembly Research Center. Views expressed are entirely personal. He tweets as @sayantan_gh)
