For a moment, let us assume democracy as a free-market politics where there is monopoly on every consumer product. What happens, then? The monopoly sets its own prices, determines its own rules and people are trapped with no options. They are left at the mercy of the monopolistic forces for their daily survival. Instead, if there are competitors, it would safeguard the interests of people who will be the final beneficiaries.
In politics, too, the existence of a strong opposition is essential to counter the monopolistic tendencies of a ruling government to act better and behave responsibly. But it is not the case in India, where a strong opposition has remained elusive since we got independence, and probably the main reason for our slow growth and a fractured society in the last seven decades due to unopposed appeasement politics of the ruling Congress that remained unchecked.
From 1947 to 1969, the Indian National Congress dominated the Indian political landscape not only in terms of vote share but also in terms of seats in both the Lok and Rajya Sabhas with non-existent opposition. Even after the Congress split in 1969, it continued its dominance till 1977, witnessing the darkest period of the Emergency in Indian democracy. The period of 1977-79 needed no opposition as the conglomerate of Janata Party had its own and enough internal contradictions that led to their collapse.
1979-89 was again a Congress-controlled period with non-existent opposition followed by 1989-2004, a messy coalition era that was multipolar with a brief period of BJP rule. The re-emergent Congress avatar in UPA1&2 during 2004-2014 witnessed a frustrated NDA opposition led by BJP following their unexpected loss in 2004 in spite of shining India campaign. But they were successful in building a narrative of “good governance” versus “indecisive leadership,” eventually capitalizing on issues of corruption and policy paralysis to win a landslide victory in 2014.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi started his tenure as a possessed man in a hurry to alter India’s domestic and international outlook since 2014, shifting from a policy of cautious consensus to a more assertive, “India First” approach. His governance changed the development pace manifolds by shifting from a “process-oriented” to a “deliverable-oriented” approach, significantly accelerating infrastructure, digitalization and financial inclusion. Since then, the core philosophy has been to move from slow, sporadic development to a rapid, technology-driven model aiming for a “Viksit Bharat” by 2047 when India celebrates a century of independence.
A few of the impressive outcomes in the last decade are listed: I) Massive expansion in highway construction, railway modernisation (Vande Bharat trains) and increased connectivity in the Northeast and rural areas, ii) Widespread adoption of UPI, Direct Benefit Transfers reducing leakage and Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile trinity, iii) A more assertive foreign policy, proactive defines posturing (surgical strikes like Uri, Salakot and operation Sindhoor), and a reduction in major terror attacks outside Jammu & Kashmir, iv) Abrogation of Article 370, ending Babri issue by constructing Ram Mandir, and the introduction of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), v) Implementation of large-scale social programs like Swachh Bharat (toilets), Ujjwala Yojana (LPG), and Ayushman Bharat (health insurance) and bringing more than 25 crore people out of multidimensional poverty and vi) and making India the world’s fourth largest economy.
Notwithstanding these developments, history suggests that power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely and leads to arrogance and a sense of invincibility. So, a strong opposition is the need of the hour as its role is indispensable to pre-empt of the party in power to act against the will and interests of the people. A recent example of the UGC Act would suffice where a defunct opposition failed to act but a strong backlash from social media pushed back the government’s unilateral decision. The notification of UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, on 13 January 2026 saw widespread students’ protests in Delhi, outside the UGC headquarters, Lucknow, Meerut, Hapur, Saharanpur, Alwar, Madhubani, and some other parts of northern India. Hashtags like #ShameOnUGC and #UGCRollback trended on social media. A few bureaucrats and politicians responded with protests, resignations, and legal challenges, citing the rules as “one-sided” and “divisive”.
Thanks to the timely intervention of the Hon’ble Supreme Court by hearing multiple petitions at short notice challenging the regulations that violated Article 14 of the Constitution by leaving the upper caste in the general category vulnerable to attacks by others. The Division Bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi stayed the UGC Regulation 2026, citing complete vagueness and potential for misuse, and ordered that the 2012 Regulations will remain in force until further orders. The Hon’ble judges observed that if the regulations were not revised, it could lead to further social division in the society, leaving the upper caste at the mercy and blackmail by other sections of the society. This decision averted a 2.0 Mandal-type agitation that was gaining ground and turning into a full-blown agitation. An intervention by a strong opposition in the Parliament would have prevented the crisis. There are numerous issues where the presence of constructive opposition could help in the welfare of Indian society and nation-building.
Unfortunately, look at the Indian opposition today. It seems to me a mere bunch of parties led by a middle-aged (young) Congress Scion whose single-point agenda is to tarnish the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi by creating a ruckus in the Parliament. Instead of indulging in healthy debates on issues of national interest and society’s welfare, he leads the shouting brigade of opposition MPs on certain non-issues and stage walkouts daily. A recent example is of reading the excerpts from a book of retired army chief that is not yet published. This pattern of shouting followed by staging a walkout has become an opposition template in the Parliament these days.
Our present-day opposition is not what is needed for Democracy. The opposition is divided on caste and religion politics of secularism and what they speak is of Democracy and the Constitution. I always wonder how our democracy and constitution came into danger only when BJP came to power. Was it all good for 70-odd years? How did the regional parties that divided us sometimes in the name of states or language, sometimes on our castes or on religion, say that they maintained the strong pillars of democracy? Ridiculous, indeed!
During the last Lok Sabha elections, a grand opposition alliance called INDI Alliance fought unitedly and were defeated because most of them were led by tainted politicians capable of breaking India into pieces if it benefits them and serve their interests. They are more concerned of their political shops than the nation, and that is why people rejected them for a third time.
Though wishful thinking, it looks like a constructive opposition in Indian politics will remain an unfulfilled dream for a long, long time to come with the present crop of opposition leaders. In my view, India’s interests and society’s aspirations are well served under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rule rather than the rule of fragile coalitions of regional and dynastic politics of the pre 2014 era of combined Congress, RJD, BSP, SP, DMK, TMC, NCP, etc. Let us hope BJP remains on track and does not self-destruct in the absence of an opposition. But as a society with a strong social media let us hope for the best and remain vigilant for the worst.
