India is witnessing an unsettling contest in which political opposition increasingly risks being reduced to a competition in disruption. The Congress and the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) appear to be converging on a common strategy of street mobilisation, confrontation with constitutional institutions and relentless amplification of allegations. The question is no longer merely whether the Opposition can challenge the government, but whether it is willing to respect the democratic processes through which governments are elected and disputes are resolved.

The BJP’s recent by-poll victories in Assam and West Bengal, including in minority-dominated constituencies, have challenged entrenched political assumptions. These results reaffirm that voters cannot be taken for granted. Faced with a BJP that continues to demonstrate electoral resilience, the Opposition appears increasingly tempted to substitute street spectacle for a persuasive political alternative. The examples of Nepal and Bangladesh offer a cautionary tale. Rahul Gandhi has previously invoked youth-led upheavals abroad while addressing young Indians.

But India is a constitutional democracy with an elected Parliament, an independent judiciary and established mechanisms for peaceful political change. Importing the vocabulary of street-driven regime change into Indian politics risks blurring the distinction between democratic protest and destabilisation. Disruption cannot become a substitute for democratic persuasion. Consider Rahul Gandhi’s reported remarks following his interaction with the President. Expressing surprise that the President had not rebutted his allegations of vote theft after receiving a memorandum betrays a fundamental distinction: receiving a representation is not the same as endorsing its contents.

Constitutional office-holders routinely receive memoranda without certifying the claims they contain. The President’s courtesy cannot be converted into an implied admission of the Opposition’s allegations. This is not the first controversy involving Rahul Gandhi’s interpretation of constitutional institutions. His earlier remarks concerning the Supreme Court’s Rafale proceedings led to an apology. Political........

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