The monsoon session of the parliament starts on Monday and its expected to be eventful, unlike much of the last 10 years. Since the 2024 loksabha results, it was expected that parliament would regain some of its strength, which was turning redundant under the brute majority of the bjp and the authoritative modi government. A united opposition bloc with 250 MPs and modi regime dependent on two wily allies meant that the opposition could finally find its voice. But through Haryana and Maharashtra elections it has let the hard earned space slip. The waqf bill being sent to the jpc was a moment of triumph but short lived. The government is planning to impeach a high court judge now, confident of garnering the requisite 2/3rd votes. Yet it seems to be a good chance for the opposition to claw back into the discourse. These 3 months since the budget session have been perhaps the toughest time for the prime minister in his entire tenure. Not because of any political challenge from the opposition or from within his party but he witnessed the unraveling of his strong man and nationalist image. This was what had kept him buoyant over the sliding economy, farm crisis, widening socioethnic fault lines and corruption. The ghastly Pulwama attacks destroyed his claims of suppressing terrorism, resolving the Kashmir issue and worst of being the most popular global leader. The attackers strolled in merrily, killed with leisure and vanished at will. It took 2 weeks to launch a counter offensive against a denying Pakistan and it proved a damp squib. We lost jets and Pakistan shelled civilians in poonch. His personalized foreign policy proved to be the biggest giveaway, not one statement of support from the international community other than the war crime indicted Israeli dispensation. The government trying in vain to supress any news on operation sindoor and its abrupt cessation. President trump calling out the nth time of forcing the ceasefire by threatening trade restrictions has hit badly. Statehood of Jammu and Kashmir is millstone now, so much so that the incumbent lieutenant governor too wants to quit. Manipur is still the festering sore, no bandage can hide. The string of falling bridges and collapsing infrastructure has drilled holes into the media firewall. To top it all is the Bihar voter list updation controversy. The NRC cat is out of the box after 5 years. The poor and marginalized are rightly apprehensive. It can prove to be the tipping point, 2024 results have shown that they take the constitution and their democratic rights very seriously. Unemployment and inflation are the perennial woes and it’s getting harder to brazen it out. The issues are plenty, but the opposition is divided now. Their confidence withering and bogged down by electoral pressures. The opposition needs to rise to the occasion. The republic needs it.
A lull before the storm
