The Opposition
The Opposition and the Changing Face of Indian Politics In a democracy, the opposition plays a vital and often decisive role. The success of a parliamentary democracy depends not merely on the strength of the government’s majority, but also on how effectively the opposition questions the government, scrutinises its policies, and brings the concerns of the people to the forefront. The opposition is, by definition, smaller in numbers. That is not a weakness; it is an inherent feature of the parliamentary system. Numbers matter inside Parliament when legislation and government policies are put to a vote. But the real strength of an opposition cannot be measured simply by the number of seats it holds. Its true strength lies in its ability to ask difficult questions, expose shortcomings, propose alternatives, and take its arguments convincingly to the public. Every decision taken by a government must be open to scrutiny. Questioning its decisions, highlighting their possible consequences, o...
