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It goes without saying that for a democracy to deliver the goods and implement effective governance there should be a thriving, active and sensitive Opposition. However this every understanding of the Opposition is blown to smithereens when its role is reduced to merely waiting for the chance to grab power at any price even if it means plunging the State into another round of political uncertainty and instability.
As we understand, it is the job of the Opposition to keep the Government of the day on its toes by pin pointing its acts of commission and omission. However thanks to a perverted system of democracy and governance which we have nurtured and cultured through the years, the role of the Opposition has been increasingly reduced to the status of a lobby which keeps the Government on its toes not along any policy matter but along the line of grabbing power.
Today we have such a system that the Government is not bothered so much about its policies and programs but what the Opposition is cooking up to grab power by engineering defection in the rank and file of the ruling party. The Opposition is today no longer regarded as the watch dog of the Government but a group waiting to take over as soon as the half chance comes along. No wonder we see that successive Governments down the years have been concentrating on how to neutralize the game plan of the Opposition to grab power rather than focus attention on governance.
There is nothing wrong for the Opposition to clamor for power for politics is by and large about assuming power but a line needs to be drawn and when the struggle for power is reduced to engineering defections and throwing the State into another round of political instability and uncertainty then it is time to press the alarm bell. Moreover we also have to keep in mind the mandate of the people.
We agree the Government is still in place and no toppling has been effected as yet but it is disturbing to note that a number of the Opposition Democratic People's Alliance MLAs have been camping at New Delhi for the last few days to seek the blessing of big brother New Delhi to oust the Congress led SPF Government and install a BJP led Government. True, the Congress led SPF Government has failed in almost every aspect of administration and governance. The Government has not been able to solve the highway impasse and even today it is still groping in the dark over what to do with the demand for the extension of the provisions of the 6th Schedule to the hill districts of Manipur.
The financial condition is in no better shape and we have not heard anything about the fabulously sounding resource mobilization drive. The ministry is jumbo sized by any measure and the Congress which is heading the coalition Government has been guilty of reneging on the MoU signed between the constituent partners by engineering defection and horse trading. The only achievement that the SPF Government can lay claim to without any argument is they have managed to stay in office for 100 days! However all these failures should not invite another spell of political instability and uncertainty in the State.
In clamoring to usurp power, the Opposition needs to think whether engineering defection (this is the only way they can muster the requisite number to form the Government) and encouraging horse trading is in the interest of the people. What should be kept in mind is the point that the MLAs first represent the people and not their political party. In other words the interest of the people should over ride all party considerations. What is needed is governance and this calls for an effective Opposition whose role should not only become synonymous with the toppling game.
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