The primary responsibility of the Opposition is to monitor the performance of ruling party by raising questions on issues faced by the common people.
It has a big role to play in the political dynamics, which is why Leader of the Opposition (LoP) has the status of a minister. An independent office and staff are provided by the government to the LoP in the Assembly Complex along with an official vehicle, just like a minister.
The Opposition party is regarded as the voice of the general public and it is their duty to analyse the decisions taken by the government in order to bring to the fore, whether the decisions are pro or anti-people.
However, what if there is no Opposition party in the State? Such a situation has arisen in the north-eastern State of Nagaland.
All the parties have extended their support to the elected government after the polls, which means that opposition party doesn’t exist in Nagaland. Now, the question is who will raise the questions of the common man in the Assembly?
During Congress rule, the opinion of the Opposition was also taken into consideration to an extent that once the country’s delegation to the UN’s General Assembly Meeting was led by the then LoP late Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
This underlines the importance of the Opposition in parliamentary democracy. The LoP is also included in the government select committees, along with the chief minister of the State. The opposition party is required to have 10% of MLAs or MPs for the party to claim the post of the LoP.
In a recent judgment, the Supreme Court has suggested forming a committee to elect an election commissioner and have also added that if there is no LoP appointed for some reason, then the elected member of the largest opposition party shall be designated the same.
This should explain how crucial the Opposition is in a democracy. All the parties had promised to fight for the welfare of the people before elections. Now, since they have come together for power, it could be seen as a move to ensure their own welfare.
For now, one will have to wait to judge the performance of this government, with no Opposition in place whatsoever. The Opposition party shows how to utilise the power for constructive proceedings. The absence of Opposition could turn the rulers into dictators, which is dangerous for democracy.
Opposition is mandatory for smooth functioning of a healthy democratic system. Currently the Opposition in our country is weakened. The Opposition es needs to play their role with all honesty since their prime duty is to make the politics people oriented. Simple lifestyle of Gandhiji and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s fight against inequality were the strong characteristics that defined the politics of yesteryears.
The opposition party’s presence today is barely noticeable while the commoners struggle with rampant inflation and corruption.
The Opposition is nowhere to be seen in the country’s political landscape, even the Prime Minister repeatedly emphasising on need for less government and more administration.
If everyone become rulers, then that would prove to be a grave threat to democracy.
The difference of opinion is the very soul of democracy and the absence of an Opposition will create a huge void in the system. The opposition parties are expected to point out the deficiencies in ruling party’s policies and not just create ruckus in the Assembly. Except during the Emergency, the opposition parties have not played their role effectively.
The alliances are formed to claim power but in Nagaland, the leaders have kept their very political ideologies way aside and have hugged each other to enjoy the fruits of being in power.
The Opposition has gone away from their responsibility and duties. The country has a rich legacy of opposition parties which have done constructive work and are regarded as upholders of the true spirit of democracy.
The ruling party and the Opposition should draft policies together that benefit the common people. However, everyone trying to latch on to power, is bit too much.
The role of LoP in day-to-day proceedings of the government is extremely crucial as it represents all the opposition parties. It is expected for the LoP to keep the government under political surveillance, analyse the policies, raise counter questions and demand solutions for the problems faced by commoners.
If the post of LoP itself is missing, then who will the people look up to? This is becoming a dangerous trend and needs to be nixed. This cannot go on as it will set a very wrong precedent for the future of the country.
On one hand, we take pride in being the largest democracy in the world, while on other, we practice glaringly undemocratic actions. This is unfortunate.
