THE ruckus in Parliament by the Opposition notwithstanding, what is so very surprising for the common people is its utter cluelessness about how to proceed against Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi’s unparalleled influence over the popular mind. What it may do to counter Mr. Narendra Modi, the Opposition appears all the time headed for disasters one after another. After the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) asked for an unconditional apology from Congress leader Mr. Rahul Gandhi, the Opposition chalked up a strategy to block the proceedings of Parliament and succeeded in doing it for three successive days. No business could be transacted in these three days, indicating a collapse of the system at the behest of the Opposition. This is very unfortunate.

Nevertheless, the Opposition appears to be clueless about its strategy. That was possibly the reason its leaders chose to march towards the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to request its top-brass to conduct investigations into the Adani issue. However, the very thought that the Opposition sought to approach the ED is good enough to prove that its earlier charges of ED acting as a handmaiden of the Government. That the Opposition felt compelled to approach the ED offices makes it clear that it does not find anything objectionable with the ED.

That apart, the very fact that it sought an approach to the Enforcement Directorate shows that the Opposition may be taking part in many activities without much thinking deep about the implications, demonstrating that it has no clue whatsoever about how to counter the growing popularity and influence of the Prime Minister. It appears to have exhausted all its tricks, and is, therefore, resorting to the same old ways to keep blocking the proceedings in the Houses under this or that pretext.

As a result, the nation suffers because Parliament is not allowed to transact business over extended periods. That a lot of money is wasted in hosting the parliamentary sittings, is one point of loss to the nation. The second point is about absence of appropriate parliamentary business that is ultimately meant for larger national good. Yet, the Opposition does not seem to realise that whatever it does does not benefit either itself or the nation at large. The country had never seen the Opposition in such a disarray, in such a confusion. As against the rock-solid organisation of the BJP and its stupendous forward thrust, the Opposition, thus, appears very weak and rather directionless, clueless. All it does is to keep making senseless allegations against the Prime Minister and the Government. It has no political plan, nor does it have a philosophical plan to counter Mr. Modi’s dynamism and relentless work in a mission mode.

Another flaw in the Opposition ranks is lack of unity. There are at least five persons who think that each one of them is appropriate candidate to be the Prime Minister. And because of this internal competitive conflict among the Opposition leaders, they are not able to forge a solid front against Mr. Modi’s Government and the leader. A divided Opposition pitted against a rock-solid Government, thus, is a pitiable contrast that the Opposition leaders are simply incapable of sorting out. It must be said that such politically debunked and intellectually bankrupt Opposition had never been seen in the country since it gained Independence. Today’s Opposition indulges only in buffoonery and nothing else, nothing creative, nothing purely patriotic. It probably does not want to wrest power. It seems interested only in grabbing headlines in this or that manner.