Sunil Gatade | Gen Z Protests Helped To Revive India’s Opposition

There is a saying in Marathi, “Aandhala magto ek dola, dev deto don”, which transliterates to: “The blind prays to God to give him one eye, and he gets both”.

It is an apt description in which the Opposition across the country, which was virtually hapless till yesterday in the wake of the BJP’s bulldozer brigade running amok through its ranks, finds itself much emboldened following the Gen Z movement.

The successful agitation for the removal of controversial education minister Dharmendra Pradhan by the Cockroach Janta Party has turned historic in that it has suddenly debilitated the Narendra Modi government and has given voice to its detractors.

It was not that the Opposition was not attempting to raise the issue vociferously, but the fact that concerted attempts to break its ranks have somewhat broken its resolve or weakened it. Prime Minister Modi and home minister Amit Shah were running down their necks consistently to establish an “one umbrella” rule, which is antithetical to a parliamentary democracy.

The failure of the strong leader to understand the plight and emotions of Gen Z resulted in his undoing, so much so that he was caught napping by the fierce passion and doggedness at the Jantar Mantar protests. unmindful of alleged police excesses.

In fact, the Delhi police, which works under Mr Amit Shah, helped spread the Jantar Mantar protests like wildfire throughout the country by their strong-arm tactics that proved more than counterproductive.

The CJP might have now called off the protests, but the Opposition has taken a cue from it by turning aggressive on the ruling side, squarely blaming the Union home minister for the excesses on the students and demanding an apology from the Prime Minister.

The Opposition’s attempts to encircle Mr Shah, the crisis manager of the Modi Sarkar, and the de facto number two in the government, are bound to bring a fresh churn to the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament, where hardly anything is going as per the government’s script.

The talk in political circles speaks of a rift in the Union Cabinet as well as the party over the handling of the student protests. The RSS chief’s appeal for a dialogue with the students was at divergence to the strong-arm tactics used by the police.

Mr Modi might have sought to buy peace by sacrificing a “corrupt” Dharmendra Pradhan. But wittingly or unwittingly, he has opened the floodgates for the Opposition to “gherao” it on a number of issues to set right the education system, on the one hand, as well as institutions of democracy on the other.

In fact, the CJP’s drawing first blood in the movement against the government has emboldened the Opposition to go on the offensive, and it is raring for a kill. “You have nothing to lose but your chains”.

The fact is that the CJP has helped the Opposition to break the Narendra Modi code, which looked unbreakable due to the politics of polarisation to the hilt.

A political commentator remarked that since Mr Modi has now bent once, you will see him bending again and again as the sheen is off his leadership. There are still three years to the next Lok Sabha polls, and the ruling side is not in the best of health. The Pradhan episode has made a huge difference.

It has not only made a major hole in the credibility of the PM within the BJP, but also the claim of him being the most outstanding leader India has ever produced.

The significance of the resignation of Mr Pradhan should be gauged from the fact that for the first time since he started as Gujarat CM 24 years ago, Mr Modi was forced to ask one of his ministers to quit. M.J. Akbar’s resignation as minister of state for external affairs following the “MeToo” scandal in 2018 was in a different league.

Till now, the Prime Minister’s attitude was like an overlord's, always seeking to protect his men, whatever might be their omissions and commissions, as if they had done no wrong. claiming that his government stood for “na khaunga, na khane doonga”.

With the Opposition turning restive, things would not be the same again for the Prime Minister. The beleaguered leader is expected to face an avalanche of problems, as his detractors have not only woken up but are up in arms after more than a decade of suppression.

History is replete with instances where those who forget their promises have to repent sooner rather than later. Mr Modi had promised two crore jobs per year before he became Prime Minister in May 2014. He had also promised “achche din” for the one billion-plus people of India, which were seen as the gospel truth.

A resurgent BJP had not only become an aggressive BJP but also an arrogant and autocratic BJP, with the “godi media” playing footsie, knowing full well that the government pulls the purse strings for advertisements.

The arrogance emanated from the belief that it has mastered the art ot winning elections by hook or crook, and the work at hand is only to marginalise the allies and detractors once and for all.

The CJP has brought spring in the steps of Mamata Banerjee and Uddhav Thackeray as well as a host of regional leaders, who have been down in the dumps. Rahul Gandhi has become the foremost and consistent critic of the Opposition, and his message of “daro mat” is slowly taking effect.

For leaders like the SP’s Akhilesh Yadav, the changed situation is a godsend given the fact that the elections in Uttar Pradesh and a few other states are around the corner.

The impact of CJP's agitation could be seen in the upcoming Assembly elections in five states, including Uttar Pradesh.

If the CJP has exposed Mr Modi’s strongman image on the one hand, on the other it has suggested to the Opposition that he and the BJP can be defeated if they act smartly and collectively, despite the splits and desertions.

Now, Mr Modi and his party will have to simultaneously fight on two fronts – the Opposition as well as Gen Z -- on issues that concerns the people which can make the divisive strategy of the BJP redundant

Since Mr Modi has blinked, the battle ahead for the Opposition is one of endurance and strategy for the winning post. If well tackled, it will no longer be advantage BJP.

The writer is a journalist based in New Delhi