When Rahul Gandhi was appointed the Leader of Opposition in the 18th Lok Sabha, it became evident that he is now also the shadow Prime Minister. In the Westminster model of Parliamentary democracy, the LoP is considered as the shadow Prime Minister and thus has to be conscious of his new role while taking on the government.
In the 2014 and 2019 elections, the BJP had made sure that the contest looked presidential and had pitted Narendra Modi against Rahul Gandhi, who at that point seemed to suffer in comparison. However, the Congress leader has come a long way since then, and played a pivotal role in his party’s improved performance this time, which took the grand old party near the century mark.
Rahul Gandhi’s two Yatras from South to North and from East to West helped him to acquire a new image. The two political expeditions were instrumental in the mass connect and this enormous effort showed in the outcome of the recently concluded polls.
It will be for the first time in ten years, that there would be a Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. Needless to say, the position carries a Cabinet rank and enables the incumbent access to a lot of things. In addition, as the LoP, Rahul would be expected to have a say in key appointments such as the director of the CBI, the Election Commissioners and so on.
He would also be the principal opponent of the ruling dispensation, and thus would have to closely interact with his other allies as well as parties opposed to the NDA on major issues and matters of national importance.
His detractors may accuse him of running away from responsibility in the past, and his reluctance to be a part of the Manmohan Singh government is often quoted to demonstrate his “casual” approach. However, the present role is extremely crucial and it is for him rather any other politician, to set the Opposition agenda to expose the chinks in the new government, as also to strive for a situation which would lead to its downfall eventually.
Strategists in the Congress are aware that if the NDA government is able to survive beyond three months till the Maharashtra and Haryana elections take place, it would last its full term. Therefore, the effort would be to go all out and bring out the faultlines of the ruling dispensation in order to weaken the coalition.
Rahul would know by now that his party lacks the organisational structure so vital to take on the robust BJP and majority of its activists seem to have a rusted approach to things and issues. Therefore, it would be important to infuse energy in the cadres and bring in many new activists who could serve as the backbone of the party in the future.
Being the LoP also entails certain limitations since the government of the day would not grant too much of an elbow room, and the presiding officers of the two Houses would ensure that any legislative aggression is curtailed and nipped in the bud.
The Congress veterans are of the view that as the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul would have to take the battle on important matters to the streets. This would be necessary to reach out to the common man to acquaint him with the real issues and therefore set a political narrative, which is different from that of the government.
In this context, it should be recalled that the Congress returned to power within three years of losing it in 1977 when people punished it for bringing in the Emergency and curtailing their civil rights. The atmosphere in Parliament had become extremely hostile to Indira Gandhi and her party and it was at this juncture that Sanjay Gandhi, who did not hold any position and had lost the Parliamentary poll, took the battle to the streets.
Many old timers would recall that the Congress fightback started with a demonstration outside the All India Radio, which was spearheaded by both Lalit Maken and Prem Swarup Nayyar. The agitation grabbed the headlines and activists who were victims of a police lathicharge, later became the backbone of the party.
Sanjay himself was part of a demonstration on the Janpath and there is a picture of his lying on the ground, with the police ready to assault him, which became the symbol of the fightback. For records’ sake it was the late Jaswinder Singh Popli, who shielded Sanjay from the blows, taking them on his body instead.
The short point is that as the LoP, Rahul shall have to be well versed with all kinds of tactics where he may himself be subjected to violence. He would have known by now that there are no easy short cuts to be a leader, and it entails a lot of sacrifice and hard work. Rahul has to also reach out to the BJP allies to convince them to change their stand.
The idea of writing about this aspect of the Opposition is certainly not to incite or provoke anyone to break the law. It is to illustrate that these are the tactics which have been used in the past by various leaders including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to come into prominence.
The NDA government at the Centre has the numbers and thus is unlikely to yield to any pressure. However, there can always be peaceful protests outside Parliament to highlight issues. Between us.