Letters: Meaningful opposition

This refers to the editorial, "No more disruption" (July 22). One hopes the political leadership takes this sane suggestion in the right spirit. The report on the disruption of Rajya Sabha proceedings is even more agonising because the name suggests that the conduct of the members of the Upper House be exemplary so that legislators down the line could learn lessons from them.

Post Independence, the parliamentary democracy in India started off with practically no Opposition. Dissenting voices within the Congress - some individual leaders whom even the party could not accommodate or were branded socialists or communists - performed the role of the Opposition in Parliament. Later on, the evolution of the Opposition in the states and at the national level was not very strong, as the formulation was dependent on the ego of the leaders or economic, geographical or linguistic interests in regions. A weak Opposition undermined the unaccountability of governments.

Time is running out for the political leadership to reinvent the role of the Opposition. The opposition needs to do the same amount of study and deliberation on issues concerning governance as is expected of the treasury benches. The present strategy of being selective on issues and efforts to create noise and be dramatic can do irreparable damage to the system.

M G Warrier Mumbai

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