The Congress conclave in Ahmedabad last weekend was rich in symbolism but lacking in substance. Rather than a meta-narrative of revival, what emerged was a stubborn adherence to unproductive strategies and a failure to acknowledge the shift in the voters’ horizon of expectations towards economic development, technological progress and a stable government.

The main outcome of the Gujarat session was greenlighting organisational reforms aimed at democratising the party by empowering district units. While this is commendable, it is far from enough. If the Congress is to be seen as a serious alternative to the BJP, it must first cast itself in the role of a constructive and credible opposition.

An opposition is, by definition, a government-in-waiting. In a multi-party system, a party or a coalition of parties can reasonably expect to replace the incumbent after the next election. So, the role of Leader of Opposition is institutionalised and regarded as indispensable to the functioning of Parliament. The Opposition is both a watchdog tasked with holding the government accountable and a safety valve for dissent (lest tensions escalate into revolutionary action).

The Opposition is expected to foreground public interest. This does not mean shooting down any and all initiatives of the incumbent government but rather ensuring that those initiatives are better aligned with public interest. To cite the International Parliamentary Union (IPU): “The opposition in parliament must show itself to be responsible and be able to act in a statesmanlike manner. It must engage in constructive and........

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