Opposition in disarray, BJP at ease

Six months into its third consecutive tenure, the BJP government under Nayab Singh Saini appears politically unchallenged, even as Haryana reels under issues such as flood-like conditions, rising unemployment, loopholes in the PPP (Parivar Pehchan Patra) scheme, rampant frauds in overseas migration, spiralling crimes against women, gangster activities and financial scams.

Yet, instead of holding the government to account, the Opposition seems busy fighting itself. The Congress, with 37 MLAs, and the INLD, with just two, are locked in internal feuds and mutual attacks. The JJP and AAP continue to struggle for relevance, leaving Communist outfits and farmer bodies as the only consistent voices on public concerns.

Political commentator Hari Singh, a former adviser to ex-CMs Bansi Lal and Bhajan Lal, summed it up: “The political scene in Haryana resembles more of ‘Opposition versus Opposition’ than a classic ‘government versus Opposition.’ This situation has led to public issues being overlooked and ignored.”

The INLD’s first post-election rally in Rohtak set the tone by targeting the Congress rather than the ruling BJP. Leaders of both parties traded accusations of playing into BJP’s hands, with little reference to people’s grievances. Former minister and Congress leader Sampat Singh defended the INLD’s move as an attempt to reclaim space after Congress’s poor poll performance, but the event gave BJP room to mock its rivals. Party spokesperson Krishan Murti Hooda claimed that many Congress workers attended the rally and called it a “setback for the Hooda father-son duo.”

Meanwhile, the Congress is still harping on “vote chori” to explain its defeat, yet has failed to build a counter-narrative or even appoint its Legislative Party leader, who would double up as Leader of Opposition in the Assembly.

Dr Kushal Pal, Professor of Political Science, observed: “Congress’s intense infighting continues, and it has not been able to set its house in order post-defeat. Other parties like INLD, JJP and AAP remain on the fringes. There is no common platform, and none of them are playing the role of an effective Opposition.” He added that the vacuum was “unhealthy in a democracy.”

Drawing from history, he reminded how Devi Lal reversed the Congress wave of 1984. “In just three years, Devi Lal united the Opposition, set the narrative, and led the INLD to a historic win with 85 out of 90 Assembly seats. That kind of unity and focus is missing today.”