The new government has been sworn in, the new Opposition must follow.
The Narendra Modi government 3.0 has taken charge, and this is a moment to celebrate the power of the world’s largest democracy, and the institutions, processes and habits that make it a strong and shining example. The inauguration of the NDA government Sunday is a testament to the will of the people and it also marks a transition. To do justice to the mandate, the new, returning NDA, will need to be a different government amid promises of continuity and stability. With the BJP falling short of the halfway mark, in its third version, the NDA will need to function as an alliance, in both letter and spirit, of parties that come from different regions and states of this large country. Going ahead, the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi must own the responsibility that comes with it — to listen and to build consensus. Their real challenge will be to give allies, be it Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP or Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), a hearing and a place at the decision-making table not just because they are constrained by the numbers or because the government’s survival depends upon it. They must do so because, after a verdict that has urged it to look within, this is the best way forward for the party — as it is for a large and diverse country.
Speaking to the newly elected NDA MPs in Central Hall on Friday, Prime Minister designate Narendra Modi seemed to be responding to the call of the mandate. He celebrated the NDA — it was the most organic and most successful alliance, he said. And privileged consensus over majority. If “bahumat (majority)” is necessary to run a “sarkar (government)”, he said, “sarvmat (consensus)” is needed to steer “desh (country)”: “Ham sab ka dayitva hai ki ham sarvmat ka prayas karein (it is our responsibility to strive for consensus)”. He seemed more mindful of, and attentive to the need for the Centre to carry along the states. He held up a model of a competitive and cooperative federalism, and said that regional and national aspirations must hold each other close, be bound together inextricably. While there was some rancour that seemed to have lingered on from the just-concluded electoral battle, Modi underlined that the Opposition opposed the government, not the country (“rashtra ke vipaksh nahin, hamare vipaksh mein hai”). There were new words in that speech, and arguably, the beginnings of a new language. It will take more time for the change to settle in and become more complete. But it is also clear that all sides will have to do the rearranging, not just the BJP.
The new government has been sworn in, the new Opposition must follow. It has been given a leg-up by the verdict and after a decade of being pushed to the edge, it can now take up its role more robustly. It must no longer take recourse to boycotts, or refuse to engage on crucial issues, in Parliament and outside it. The people have indicated in no uncertain terms that they want an accountable government and a strong Opposition. One is not possible without the other, and that’s the bottomline of the verdict. Congratulations and welcome to the new government at the Centre — and the Opposition in the 18th Lok Sabha.
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First uploaded on: 10-06-2024 at 07:18 IST
