The 19 months of the Emergency aside, rarely has the Indian political system been so ruptured in the past 75 years as it is today. Twenty one Opposition parties have said they will boycott Sunday’s inauguration of a new parliament building, a momentous occasion in the life of any democracy. The Opposition’s stance is unfortunate, as was the decision of some of these parties to stay away from the June 30-July 1, 2017, midnight ceremony to mark the roll-out of goods and services tax. But unlike six years ago, when the government reached out to the Opposition leadership, it is regrettable that the ruling party’s top leadership appears unwilling to extend its hand across the aisle.