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Along with the ruling government, the opposition too will be under the scanner as the Indian electorate has given them the mandate to play an important role in deciding the nation’s policies and programmes. The opposition’s I.N.D.I.A bloc has emerged as a formidable force and secured over 200 seats. On its part, the opposition should play a constructive role, rather than a destructive one, which will only lead to the adjournment of the house, causing huge financial loss to the country. The trend of disrupting the proceedings of the house has already damaged the image of India’s political parties. Thus this time, the opposition should try to corner the government on the floor of the house rather than shouting slogans inside Lok Sabha, as it is against parliamentary norms. The opposition parties should capitalise on their increased strength to ensure meaningful discussions as well as play an important role in law making.
So far, the opposition has adopted a wait and watch policy in regard to government formation. A number of parties in the opposition bloc had attempted to lure some National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners, especially the Telugu Desam party (TDP) and Janata Dal (United), in an effort to form the government. But the majority of parties in the opposition ranks, respecting the people’s mandate decided to sit in the opposition rather than show any kind of hurry to grab power. In the future too, the opposition, regardless of which political party it may be, should show similar level of maturity, as in a democracy the people’s wish is supreme and ignoring it may prove to be costly.
To gain popular support, the opposition should raise issues like price rise, unemployment, inflation, etc., on the floor of the house to force the government to take action to solve these problems. Opposition parties should highlight the issues faced in the daily lives of the people, rather than indulging in personal attacks, which have made a large section of the Indian populace disillusioned about present-day politics. To garner the public’s favour, the opposition should raise questions on the success of various welfare schemes launched by the government to help the poor and marginalised people. Lok Sabha discussions should focus on the future of Indian agriculture, which forms the economic backbone of the country. Similarly, issues related to health, education and employment should also be discussed, as these are essential for a nation to flourish. The success of the opposition will depend on how well it can put pressure on the government by raising people-centric issues.