No riot, no scam... It is the duty of every Indian to ensure that India continues to sustain the opposition it truly deserves.
A great deal of evaluation has been done around whether which party fits the bill perfectly when it comes to ruling India better in the long run. However, in a bid to debate, we often forget the fact that in a democratic country it is the opposition which plays an equally important role, perhaps as imperative as the incumbent party.
It might be debatable whether UPA or NDA is better as the ruling party, but when it's about representing the opposition, UPA wins hands down. Below are a few points which vouch for the fact that Congress is indeed the best possible opposition India can ever get.
India is a country with a diversity of religious beliefs and practices, and although it boasts of having nine recognized religions subsisting together in peace, it can't be denied that groups with diverse sets of beliefs can end up crossing swords. In the last ten years, the year 2008 being the highest with 943 cases of communal violence, UPA government has set a bar so high that even after 4.5 years of being in power, NDA is nowhere close to overtaking the record figure. The statistics directly signify the role Congress has played while staying in opposition thus keeping a check on extremist communal forces, which the NDA failed at miserably.
When it comes down to scams, Congress has literally brought years of experience to the table. Leaders in Congress are privy to the fact that no deal in their rule could be executed without involving favouritism and/or bribes, thus they make sure to heavily scrutinize the present government for its omissions and commissions, sometimes well in advance. Congress has served as democracy's most fervent watchdog, by incessantly pointing out cases of corruption, nepotism, favouritism and the like, even if it meant conjuring up falsehoods, say like the alleged Rafale scam. This has thus kept the BJP government on its toes, and even after being in power, the present officeholders have no scam in their kitty.
Congress has made one thing crystal clear that while they are in the opposition, the country has absolutely no place for loan defaulters. Whether it is Vijay Mallya, or Nirav Modi or Mehul Choksi, no businessman could continue to get leeways while securing loans or defaulting on them under the incumbent regime, as they did under the erstwhile Congress rule. Another vital observation to make is that as soon as Congress rose to power in opposition, all defaulters either agreed to settle their NPAs or absconded the country out of sheer fear.
Congress has not only highlighted price hikes but has consistently kept inflation at check by holding protest marches and pressurising the government to reduce the increasing fuel prices. While during UPA's rule, fuel prices were increased multiple times and the reasoning behind the sky-rocketing prices as per the then Prime Minister Mr Manmohan Singh Ji was "Paise pedh par nahi ugte," after coming in the opposition, Congress has expressed undying faith with the current administration to undo its past mistakes. Owing to this unending faith entrusted by Congress, the UPA government was left with little choice and was thus forced keep the inflation well below 5%, which during UPA era was at worrying levels.
Like no other party before, Congress has adopted the constitutional principle of 'Unity in Diversity' in its full glory and spirit and demonstrated that a whole slew of parties with varied motives can be brought together as one. By forming alliances with regional parties, who once used to be its strong rivals, Congress has proved that it is indeed friendlier and more constructive when in opposition.
More than anything else, Congress plays a pivotal role in helping people appraise the present achievements of our country. Acting as a constant reminder of their past inefficiencies and by acting as an alternative government-in-waiting, Congress has managed to keep a sense of public paranoia of returning to power, well alive. Considering all of the above points and reasoning, it is one's duty to ensure that India continues to sustain the opposition it truly deserves, that is the Congress.
This is a work of satire. The writer tweets from the handle @Being_Humor.
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