1981 is likely to be even worse for the fragmented and humbled Opposition than 1980 was

When Prime Minister Indira Gandhi last month thundered that she was "not afraid of the Opposition... It is incapable of doing any harm," she wasn't indulging in idle bravado. She was, if anything, understating the paralysis that seems to have overcome the national opposition parties ever since the Congress (I) won the Lok Sabha elections a year ago, and then followed up that victory by easily romping home in last summer's Assembly elections.The Opposition's plight is clear to see. The three-year interregnum when the Janata Party followed by Charan Singh's motley coalition of opposition parties tried to govern the country, has conditioned the non-communist opposition in a cynical mould which the lately formed six-party opposition front is unlikely to cure. Buffetted by personal ambition, led by decrepit men out of tune with the popular pulse and barely able to agree on common political, economic and social programmes, the opposition parties seem to have learned only one dubious lesson, not to trust each other. (From left) Raj Narain, Limaye and Singh at Lok Dal meeting: FactionalismThis is ironical considering that the only time they came together - in the March 1977 Lok Sabha elections - the non-communist opposition parties were able to trounce the Congress(I) and explode the myth of its invincibility. Indeed, the election results in 1980 showed that together the opposition parties command greater electoral support than the Congress(I), and had they been able to come together on the election platform, their performance would not have been so miserable.Such lessons, however, still fall on ears deafened by the clamour of in-party and intra-party conflicts in the Opposition. And, the way things are going, 1981 is likely to be even worse for the fragmented and humbled Opposition than 1980 was. "Talk of any kind of opposition unity is premature," says Atal Behari Vajpayee the newly elected chief of the Bharatiya Janata Party. "There can't be any unity as long as mistrust for a particular partner persists in the minds of other constituents." Vajpayee has in mind the tensions aroused in the old Janata Party in its sunset days in 1979 when it fell to petty conflicts among its pre-'77 constituents. That fragmentation persisted - in fact, worsened - during '80 and prevented the opposition parties from playing their due role in a democracy. Groping for a meaningful role, they were, for example, wholly unable to mobilise growing popular disenchantment caused by inflation and a palpably deteriorating law and order environment.(From left) Chandrasekhar, Surendra Mohan, Patel and Swamy at Janata Party convention: SurvivingConscious of the handicap, some opposition leaders reconciled themselves in 1980 to a prolonged eclipse. "There is no hurry in looking for an alternative to the Congress (I) as long as Mrs Gandhi runs the country within the democratic set-up," the dapper Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna told India Today.Real Reasons: All the top leaders offer their own excuses for their failure to unite but it is really the fissures in their own parties which have prevented them from working together. Aged uncompromising leaders make it difficult for even the most well meaning to patch up and agree within their own party's leave aside with others.The Lok Dal, a party mainly made up of middle class peasantry belonging to parts of Uttar Pradesh. Bihar and Haryana faced its third split in less than eight months. In the Congress(U) many of the top politicians are ready to join Mrs Gandhi if a 'respectable' formula could be worked out to accommodate them. The problem is not confined to the top. Janata Party president Chandrasekhar says: "Our basic task is to re-establish our credibility not amongst the masses but amongst our workers too."(From left) Joshi, Deshmukh, Jethmalani, Advani and Vajpayee at the BJP rally: ConsolidatingAll the opposition groups-barring the communists - are facing the problem of keeping their rank and file together and preventing them from joining Mrs Gandhi. So far she has been selective about, admitting defectors but she is expected to become more liberal in the near future. She has already managed to split the CPI vertically. Her attempts to split the Lok Dal which is her main rival in Uttar Pradesh also seem to be paying off. Five members of the Lok Dal parliamentary party have joined the Congress (I) and many more are likely to in the next few months.Winding Up: The way it is heading, the Lok Dal may well be wound up or reduce itself to a regional party. Charan Singh's style of functioning has been disastrous for a party which until recently was considered a strong alternative to the Congress (I) in the northern belt. His latest fracas with Chandrajit Yadav and Ram Naresh Yadav has led to the exodus of many backward community leaders and will considerably erode the party's rural base. On top of that, former Socialists in the Lok Dal such as George Fernandes. Madhu Limaye and Karpoori Thakur have been uneasy about the party's casteist label. If they were to leave, very little will be left of the party.Some Lok Dal leaders have been trying to keep the party active by associating it with the six-party front made up of the Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M). Congress (U). Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and Forward Bloc. Devraj Urs addressing a Congress (V) meeting in Delhi: InfightingBut the Lok Dal cadre have not been responding well because of infighting. For example its much publicised farmers' agitation in Uttar Pradesh flopped because its leadership could not mobilise in time, and Devi Lal, Haryana's former chief minister, refused to cooperate with the movement unless basic issues about Charan Singh's dictatorial style of functioning were resolved. Chandrajit Yadav. suspended general secretary of the Lok Dal's parliamentary party, says. "Individual egos and narrow considerations have played havoc with all the opposition parties."Bigger Mess: If the Lok Dal is on the verge of collapse, its electoral partner the Congress (U) is in an even bigger mess. Most of its top leaders are not used to being out of power and are itching to rejoin Mrs Gandhi. At the same time, the party's younger leaders like Sharad Pawar, Unni-krishnan and Das Munshi however are determined to stay in opposition, and this tug of war between the two groups is threatening to rip the party apart. In addition, there is grumbling in the ranks over Devraj Urs' personalised' style of functioning.If the younger leaders prevail and strengthen Congress (U)'s anti-Mrs Gandhi posture, the party may be able to forge some sort of a working alliance with the Janata Party. But the pressure from the old guard is very strong.Emerging Stronger: While both the Lok Dal and the Congress (U) are plagued by infighting, the other two major opposition groups, the Janata Party and the BJP have managed so far to remain free from any serious internal problems. The Janata Party may well be able to emerge stronger in the coming year.Buffeted by personal ambition, led by decrepit old men out of tune with the popular pulse...the opposition parties seem to have learnt only one dubious lesson - not to trust each other.After its annual session held in November, the party leaders have toured various parts of the country and have been able to prevent defections. The public meetings of Morarji Desai and Chandrasekhar have been attracting crowds. Even in the capital which is considered a BJP stronghold Desai drew large crowds last month. The party is concentrating its efforts in Gujarat. Maharashtra and Karnataka where it has considerable support.The other splinter group of the undivided Janata Party which has been able to surviv and prosper is the BJP which started as , reflection of the former Jan Sangh Amongst the four major opposition group which came into being after the poll, the BJP alone has grown. It was not only retained it strength but has been able to attract man; people who were never in the Jan Sangh The party could emerge as the strongest opposition group in the Hindi belt in the near future. Between 1967-72 it was the major opposition party in seven northern states. Even today, the BJP is the main opposition in Madhya Pradesh. Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh.However the party's emphasis on building up its organisation, may slow down its growth as a national alternative. Says L.K. Advani, its general secretary: "Our main area of concern is building a well-knit party organisation during the next few years." The party claims to have registered over 22 lakh members of which 10 lakh belong to the northern region.Merger Proposals: In the all-important area of opposition unity, the regional parties like Akali Dal. National Conference and the All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhgam (AIADMK), have taken their cue from their seniors in the national opposition. Most of them are also riven by rivalries. The Akali Dal in Punjab has already split into two groups, one of which is likely to join the Congress (I). Discontent is also brewing in the AIADMK and the National Conference. Some middle level leaders of the national parties have been trying to bring all the non-communist opposition parties together. Kanwar Lai Gupta, a member of the national executive of the BJP, says: "It is in the interest of the nation that all the parties should come together." A young Lok Dal member of the Parliament, agrees: "We should explore the possibility of launching a new party again."According to the strategy worked out by the younger leaders of some parties, a viable opposition party can emerge if the old leaders of all the groups voluntarily retire and allow the second level leaders to take over. Says Gupta. "Each opposition party has some individuals who are acceptable to everyone and they can work together."Some of the leaders have held secret conclaves in which various proposals and schemes for the merger of various groups of the Janata Party were reportedly discussed. But the Rashtriya Syamsevak Sangh (RSS) remains the major stumbling block.It is more likely that during the current year all the opposition parties will try to whip up public support. In opposition they can afford to promise the earth to everyone. Their next milestone will be the Assembly elections in 1982. But one thing is certain - clinging to political cliches will not help them any more.Published By: AtMigration Published On: Nov 30, 2013 09:04 IST--- ENDS ---

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1981 is likely to be even worse for the fragmented and humbled Opposition than 1980 was

Conscious of the handicap, some opposition leaders reconciled themselves in 1980 to a prolonged eclipse. "There is no hurry in looking for an alternative to the Congress (I) as long as Mrs Gandhi runs the country within the democratic set-up."

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