Jharkhand serves as an excellent example of how concerted efforts of a united opposition can triumph over the BJP. Under Hemant Soren, opposition parties worked cohesively, setting aside their differences for a common cause.
Consequently, the Congress-Jharkhand Mukti Morcha alliance rattled the BJP in the assembly elections, proving that strategic unity could overcome money power and institutional control. The BJP has since desperately tried to destabilise the government using Central agencies, yet the alliance has remained strong. If this model is replicated across the country, the opposition can effectively counter the BJP’s dominance.
What we saw in the Delhi elections must serve as a lesson to us. Opposition parties need to realise that defeating the BJP is only possible if everyone comes together and allows the Congress to play the role of a steersman in building a comprehensive narrative against the ruling alliance. We must come together to take advantage of the common people’s anger against the BJP.
The opposition must remain committed to a vision that prioritises development, job creation and youth empowerment. The failures of major Modi government schemes―Make in India, Skill India, Swachh Bharat, Smart Cities and bullet train―must be exposed relentlessly. The reality is that India’s imports from China have only increased, jobs are being shifted abroad and economic opportunities remain stagnant. The mainstream media will not question these failures, so it falls upon the opposition to educate the masses and highlight these policy shortcomings.
The BJP’s dominance is not because of governance, but rather its control over media narratives, money power and state machinery. The last Lok Sabha elections proved that despite these advantages, people are willing to vote for change if they see a credible alternative. The results shattered the myth of the invincible “Modi factor”. Even in BJP strongholds like Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, voters have moved away. This highlights a growing public impatience with rhetoric and propaganda.
Yet, despite that electoral setback in the Lok Sabha elections, the mainstream media continues to work overtime to sustain the illusion of BJP’s invincibility. The ground reality tells a different story. Interestingly, the youth and the poor across caste lines have grown impatient and disenchanted with the Modi government. If the media were a little less unbiased, the narrative in public discourse would have been starkly different. Things related to public interest would have come up in the open. Rural distress, for instance, is at an all-time high, and inflation is eroding people’s savings. The opposition must take it upon itself to expose these realities constantly.
Also, the Modi government has constantly weaponised investigative agencies to suppress opposition leaders. Rahul Gandhi has been a prime target of such political vendetta, yet he continues to fight undeterred.
For the opposition to succeed, it must present a clear and cohesive vision under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi. The messaging must be consistent across the country, addressing the real concerns of the people rather than reacting to the BJP’s diversionary tactics.
The last Lok Sabha elections and Jharkhand polls have shown that when the opposition works for the weakest sections of society, they come out en masse to support us.
A vibrant example of representing the weaker sections, which led to the transformation of Indian politics, was the Bharat Jodo Yatra. Rahul’s yatra was not just a journey across India, but a journey into the hearts and minds of millions who seek an alternative.
The time is ripe for a reinvention of opposition unity. People are looking for an alternative that stands for justice, economic progress and constitutional values.
―The writer is minister, Panchayati Raj, Jharkhand