Letters: Be more receptive

With reference to the thought-provoking editorial, "Hopes for 2016" (January 1), there is no substitute for consensus for the government of the day. While the success story of the National Democratic Alliance government led by Narendra Modi in the area of economic reforms is reasonably suspect, it would be naive to blame it alone for its dismal performance. The role of a united Opposition in Parliament to stall the government's legislative agenda is equally to blame for impeding progress. It is an open secret that the Congress practically turned the tables on the government by tactfully "utilising" the numbers in the Rajya Sabha.

On key pending issues that have been well enumerated in the editorial, there is no doubt that the government had to adopt a policy of persuasion rather than confrontation.

The year 2015 would go down as one of the blackest in the history of the Indian democracy when political communication stooped to its lowest level. Some leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party added to the blackness by not only speaking out of turn but also speaking rubbish in public.

The Sangh Parivar's divisive social agenda frequently added fuel to fire. As these voices were not countered quickly or effectively at the highest level, the Opposition took full political advantage of the issue.

One hopes that 2016 will usher in greater responsibility on the part of the government. It has to be become more receptive and accommodative of the Opposition's ideas in the matter of implementation of economic reforms. However, it takes two to clap. Hence the Opposition should not be seen as trying to run the government by "proxy".

S Kumar New Delhi

Letters can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:
The Editor, Business Standard
Nehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg
New Delhi 110 002
Fax: (011) 23720201
E-mail: letters@bsmail.in
All letters must have a postal address and telephone number