Congress in its new avatar : Need for a strong Opposition
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: November 16 2018 -

It is hard to believe that the Congress would have noted the importance of a strong and effective Opposition before March 15, 2017.

This was the date on which the BJP led coalition Government was sworn in with N Biren as the Chief Minister, bringing to an end the uninterrupted run of the Congress Government for the past 15 years back then.

More than one year down the line and today, one can see the Congress singing paeans to a strong and effective Opposition, never mind that in pointing out the need for a strong and effective Opposition it is in fact indulging in self praise !

This observation is made in the backdrop of the fact that it was the Congress which virtually decimated the Opposition parties after the 2012 Assembly elections.

With the Congress virtually sweeping through the polls back then, bagging 42 seats in the 60 member Assembly,

The Sangai Express had back then questioned why there was the need then to merge the 5 MSCP MLAs into its fold.

A sharp reflection of violating the spirit of the 10th Schedule of the Constitution of India.

Just as there is no permanent friend or foe in politics, it is now the Congress which is asserting that the soul of a democracy is the presence of a strong Opposition.

Sad to think that this reality flew over the head of the Congress when it was in power.

One cannot help but remember that the only sane voices of opposition to the Congress then came from former MLA I Ibohalbi of the AITC from Oinam Assembly Constituency and Kh Joykisan again of the AITC from Thangmeiband Assembly Constituency.

It is another matter that Kh Joykisan is today with the Congress.

When on the ruling bench try to crush the Opposition even by violating the spirit of the 10th Schedule of the Constitution and when on the Opposition, point out the need to have a strong and effective Opposition.

The circle has come full round for the Congress, it appears and if at all there is a lesson to be learnt here then it is that what goes up will always come down.

This is a point which the BJP too should take note of.

At the moment, there are 6 Congress MLAs supporting the BJP led Government but there is the need to see the equation beyond the number game.

Is such an arrangement in line with the spirit of the Constitution under which all the elected MLAs took oath of office ?

Are they not answerable to the people who voted them to power in the first place ?

Shouldn’t they be going back to the people to seek their opinion via another around of vote ?

This was what happened at Goa some time before Manipur.

If memory serves us right, an MLA elected on the Congress ticket first resigned from the Congress, resigned from the Assembly, switched to the BJP and then went back to the people to seek their opinion via an election.

This is in keeping with the understanding of democracy more particularly with the spirit of the 10th Schedule of the Constitution.

A class of politicians sans ethics, this what Manipur is witnessing today.

On the other hand, it is encouraging to note that the Congress has today recognised the need of a strong and effective Opposition and such line of thinking should be there whether one is on the Opposition or the ruling bench.