Challenge for Opposition to replicate unity in state polls

If the BJP were to dismiss and laugh away the opposition’s latest unity show, it would not be entirely unjustified. The Pegasus snooping controversy has forged a not-so-rare unity among most opposition parties, but questions over its longevity and strength will always remain a question mark given the past record. Attempts have been made earlier as well to unite all political forces against the BJP, but they have largely been ephemeral owing to lack of unity of purpose and inherent contradictions. If anti-BJPism is the glue that currently binds the disparate parties together, they have more often than not come unstuck because of personal ambitions. Many leaders such as Sharad Pawar are larger-than-life characters who cannot easily put the larger, collective interest before narrow, personal ones. Another challenge before the parties is to transform the issue-based unity into electoral unity. The recent Assembly elections were a case in point as many of the parties that bonded over breakfast on Tuesday were sworn rivals on the ground during the elections. This situation is unlikely to change in future elections. For instance, in Uttar Pradesh, the most coveted of all states where elections will take place in a few months, the Samajwadi Party, Congress and even the Left may vie with each other for the spoils. If the opposition parties have to collectively confront the might of the BJP, especially in states where the saffron party has a base, putting up a united front during polls is a prerequisite. Unity over Pegasus, price rise or the farm laws is not an election trump card.

While unity among opposition parties is needed for them to challenge the BJP electorally, it is also required to keep a check on the increasingly unilateral style of governance wherein there appears to be no place for a consultative process on issues of public interest. The sudden national lockdown last year, putting millions of migrant workers into untold hardships, or the hurried passage of the farm laws are two such cases where there was no discussion or debate. Worse still is to paint any criticism of the government with an anti-national brush. A strong opposition is needed to check this slide into dogmatism