The opposition parties are in total disarray. Forget about forming formidable floor coordination in the Parliament, the parties are struggling hard even to keep their house in order. As a result, from passing important bills in the parliament to defections to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), everything is going unabated since the last general elections.
Clearly BJP has now established itself as the number one political party in the country. The party has made its presence felt not only in the Hindi heartland, but also in South, West, East and Northeast. Barring one or two states in the country, BJP is in the ascendency, while, in all the states of the country, be it Congress, Left or any other regional party, all are very much in danger of drifting in to oblivion. BJP has now spread its wings in such a manner that even the Congress in its heydays could not match. Any social scientists will term this situation dangerous as single party dominance in a Democracy has always proved to be detrimental for good governance and welfare of the people.
Is the massive poll defeat that BJP handed over to the opposition parties the reason behind such a pathetic show? Clearly not; BJP has only exploited the situation to its favour. If the opposition parties today are suffering, it is because of their own wrong doings. These parties do not indulge in inner party Democracy. More often than not the parties compromise with ideologies. Instead of putting stress on creating a strong organisational base, these parties have shown more inclination to remain in power. BJP has only exposed these inherent flaws within the parties and the result is out in the open for everyone to see.
Take the example of the Congress, the grand old party of Indian politics. Till the late sixties, the party dominated Indian political scene. But Congress did not realise that with the changing scenario, the party should change and adopt new methods to look and attract younger generations who were born after Independence. As the party refuses to change it course, today the Congress has virtually lost its connection with Indian masses. Today the party has reduced itself to a family based organisation. Apart from the family members, other leaders of the party have no bases. They are leaders only because they are loyal to that particular family. This is why, even after two months of Rahul Gandhi resigning as the Congress president, the party so far has failed to find one to fill the void.
Same is the case of other parties. In the most populous state of India Uttar Pradesh, both Mayawati and Akhilesh tried every trick in the book to dislodge BJP, but failed to achieve their goals. Mayawati lost because of being too ambitious and Akhilesh for failing to keep his family united. Similarly as Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founder and veteran Maratha leader Sharad Pawar has not allowed any leaders of his party to gain stature just to keep the seat warm for his daughter Supriya Sule, the party is now facing mass exodus. Mr. Pawar may blame BJP for engineering defections, but the fact remains that none are willing to remain in the party as there is no reward for good works. So, all the political parties in opposition today must introspect and come out with new ways to regain lost ground. Otherwise, elections after elections, these parties will face more and more humiliation in the hands of BJP. A true and healthy democracy is not possible without a strong opposition.
