DENIAL MODE !

 

 

 

 

EVEN as the country is gearing up for the last phase of the Lok Sabha elections and subsequent counting of votes on June 4, 2024, political circles are agog with talks of possible retaliation by the Opposition camp -- by way of creating ruckus over credibility of electronic voting machines (EVMs) -- if Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi wins again leading the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Enough indications of such possibilities are rising from the Opposition camp. Reports from different sources make us suspect that the Opposition camp may be in a mood to “reject” the electoral outcome in favour of the Modi regime. If this is really going to happen, then we must say that the Opposition will behave in keeping with its culture of denial of reality -- which it has been doing since 2014 when Mr. Narendra Modi emerged first as Prime Minister. Of course, such an approach is not going to help the Opposition in any manner. Yet, despite having seen the outcome, the Opposition did not learn any lesson in the past ten years. All along, it continued denying the reality of Mr. Narendra Modi’s success as Prime Minister and his tremendous connect with the common people across barriers. Now also, reports have us believe that the Opposition appears to be in a mood to continue doing what it has been doing for the past ten years -- to no avail. In the past ten years, all the Opposition has done is to refuse to cooperate with the Government.

 

In Parliament, its approach was to block the proceedings somehow -- opposing every move the Government made, opposing every legislation the Government moved, doubting every process the Government undertook as per rules, regulations and procedures. It also tried to tell the world that the Modi Government was tampering with the Constitution, trying to deny the minorities their citizenship, trying to divide the society vertically for political gains. It did not mind maligning India’s image abroad by making absolutely outlandish claims and statements that sought to portray the Prime Minister as a villain of democracy. Now that possibilities are very strong that Mr. Narendra Modi will win the elections and earn a clear mandate, the Opposition is reportedly proposing to question the integrity of the electronic voting machines -- and possibly approach the Supreme Court seeking justice. None of those efforts will succeed -- which even a street urchin would tell. Yet, the obstinate Opposition does not seem ready to learn its lessons. There is a process in place. There is a system in place.

 

These are working to keep democracy safe and sound. Yet, cornered by increasing popularity of Mr. Narendra Modi, the Opposition wants to deny the integrity of the institutional system that has worked all these years to keep safe and sound, which is very unfortunate. The misfortune is not just for the Opposition but also for the system and the common people. For, when the Opposition behaves in such an obstinate manner for years on end, that gets weakened is the country, the nation in the ultimate analysis. Unfortunately, the Opposition does not realise the damage it is causing to the Indian nation as a whole. So steeped it is in what should be described as Fools’ Paradise that it sees no reality and acknowledges no virtue of the robust system of Indian democracy. The Opposition also does not realise that it is silently moving away from the common people and is getting reduced to a negligible minority in elected Houses at almost all levels. It does in some pockets in the country in good strength. But those who understand the silent nuances of democracy know that in its own strongholds, too, the Opposition is on a decline.