The meeting of the INDIA bloc on June 8 reminded us of the exigency of our times: The Opposition needs a reset. Not the kind debated over the last few days. We don’t need personalised blame games. Or a tired parade of loyalty. We don’t need to search for nirvana in every small opening. Or to drum up a conspiracy behind every opportunity. We need an Opposition that is at once positive and energetic, imaginative and proactive.

Yes, we need a unity of the Opposition. But more than that, we need a renewal of the Opposition.

We need it now, more than ever before. Our republic could be facing the capture of democracy by seemingly democratic means. Constitutionally mandated democratic options are fast receding. Yet, a crack has opened at this moment of consolidation of total power. Loktantra offers a narrow but real opening: The simmering pot of lok has begun to bubble, just as the lid of tantra has been sealed tight. The future is unpredictable and uncharted. It is too early to judge how prepared the INDIA coalition is to face this challenge. This contradictory moment casts a historic responsibility on the Opposition. It calls for the highest form of integrity, statesmanship and political judgement.

The politics of opposition needs a paradigm shift that goes beyond electoral competition, from a politics of regaining state power to a politics of reclaiming the republic. This requires a radical shift in approach — redefining the Opposition, rethinking Opposition unity, and reimagining what it means to do oppositional politics. This demands recognising an operational shift........

© Indian Express