top of page

By:

Abhiram Ghadyalpatil

10 May 2026 at 12:01:04 pm

The Opposition’s Existential Question

While democracy needs a credible opposition, it is not the BJP’s responsibility to create one. Elections in India since 2014 have increasingly generated an engaging debate- the “lack” of a political opposition to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Barring a few setbacks, especially the 2024 general elections, most electoral contests since 2014 have recorded a steady and spectacular march of the BJP. The post-West Bengal iteration of this debate has an even graver existentialist tone over the...

The Opposition’s Existential Question

While democracy needs a credible opposition, it is not the BJP’s responsibility to create one. Elections in India since 2014 have increasingly generated an engaging debate- the “lack” of a political opposition to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Barring a few setbacks, especially the 2024 general elections, most electoral contests since 2014 have recorded a steady and spectacular march of the BJP. The post-West Bengal iteration of this debate has an even graver existentialist tone over the state of the political opposition to the BJP. Admittedly, the BJP’s Bengal conquest is monumental, epic in its symbolism and style, and given the BJP’s impressive track record in holding on to states it has won for long durations, it portends doomsday dimensions for the opposition. As the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and other members of the anti-BJP ecosystem come to terms with this realisation that the BJP is here to stay in Bengal, it’s an opportune time to revisit this debate over the “lack” of a political opposition. There is nothing wrong in expecting a credible political opposition in the interest of the general health of a democracy. But the debate gains momentum when the BJP has won an election and loses steam quickly to resurface only when another opposition party bites dust in some election. It is almost as if the issue deserves only an electoral life and does not merit sustained attention. The boringly ritualistic and cynical tenor of this debate adds no value to the discourse over the role, position, and politics of the opposition parties in India. There is another self-destructive aspect to this “opposition-mukt” refrain. It is presented and argued in a way as if it is the BJP’s responsibility to find an opposition to itself. Lazy Narrative The argument that the BJP is working towards an “opposition-mukt” India finds resonance with much of the mainstream media including some international outlets, political analysts, and even in how most opposition parties react to each of the BJP’s electoral triumphs. This narrative almost denies the BJP the very agency as a political party. It is a political party’s job to win elections by defeating its political opponents. That the BJP contests every election seriously and in a methodical manner cannot be its disqualification. It is obviously not the BJP’s job to find itself a credible opposition. It is the opposition political parties’ job to become a credible, serious, and worthy opposition and alternative to the BJP. Once India’s opposition parties recognise this simple truth, they could learn from the BJP and its previous avatar, the Bharatiya Jan Sangh, itself. Post-Independence politics in India has not seen a better opposition party than the BJS and BJP. How has the BJS-BJP gone from being just one of the opposition parties with a small social footprint among some upper caste Hindus to become India’s party of power, governance, nationalism, and spread over a socio-political map that not only rivals the Indian National Congress (INC) in the 50s and 60s but is even better than that in the context of a more complex, more diverse, more aspirational, and more demanding India? That is the question any serious political party and analyst in India needs to ponder if the debate is to rise above the mediocre level of “opposition-mukt” India. To be sure, the BJS-BJP did not set out to become an opposition party. It established itself as a serious political party which aspired to win power electorally, a simple but essential ambition for a political party in a democracy. In pursuit of this ambition the BJS-BJP, and the larger Sangh Parivar ecosystem, were prepared to grind, fight, introspect after every loss, learn, imagine, aggregate, regroup and reorganise, and live another day to fight another electoral battle. The BJP still does it, regardless of the fact that it now rules the Centre and 21 states. BJP’s opponents had pronounced West Bengal an impossibility for the BJP. The BJP did not think so. It fought on. Amid all this strife spanning decades and the march towards becoming India’s natural ruling party, the BJS-BJP has stuck to its ideology, mission, and larger goals, with only smaller concessions and some flexibility that it thought was politically necessary at the time. Mindless Opposition Now, even a cursory look at almost every political party currently in opposition to the BJP gives an impression that opposing whatever the BJP and the BJP-led government stand for is their idea of their job description. Except for the Left parties, there is hardly any sustaining and credible ideology any other opposition party consistently stands for and fights elections on. Starting a venture named ‘Aam Aadmi Party’ with the proprietor living a life that has progressively appeared as distant from the aam aadmi as does the real life of a film star from the common man he plays or smugly opposing a strategically important and critical national security project like the Great Nicobar Island just because the BJP-led government is executing it does not make an opposition party a credible voice of opposition. It just makes for a sad spectacle. (The author is a senior journalist and Executive Director of Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini. Views personal.)

Madras HC grants interim anticipatory bail to comedian Kunal Kamra

  • PTI
  • Mar 28, 2025
  • 4 min read

Chennai: The Madras High Court on Friday granted interim anticipatory bail to comedian Kunal Kamra, who is facing the heat over his jokes on Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.



The court granted Kamra the relief on the condition that he should execute a bond to the satisfaction of the judicial magistrate at Vanur in Villupuram district in Tamil Nadu.


Justice Sunder Mohan also issued notice to 2nd Respondent (R2-Khar Police) and posted the matter to April 7.


Kamra had submitted he moved to Tamil Nadu from Mumbai in 2021 and has been "ordinarily a resident of this State since then" and that he feared arrest by Mumbai Police.


The judge noted the petitioner, who is residing in Villupuram district, apprehends arrest in the case registered on the file of R-2 against him.


Counsel for the petitioner submitted that the allegation against the petitioner was that he made certain remarks in a standup comedy on Deputy Chief Minister, called "Naya Bharath."


According to the prosecution it harmed the reputation of the deputy CM.


Counsel further submitted that the allegation does not warrant custodial interrogation. He was unable to seek anticipatory bail in Maharashtra.


Counsel for the petitioner submitted that a life threat was made against him by partymen and the Ministers. He sought anticipatory bail to enable him to approach court in Maharashtra.


Citing a judgment of the Supreme Court, the judge said the petitioner prima facie satisfied as to why he was unable to approach a court in Maharashtra immediately. Hence, he directed issuing notice to R 2.


"In the meanwhile, this court is inclined to grant anticipatory bail till April 7. He should execute a bond to the satisfaction of Judicial Magistrate, Vanur," the court said.


Twice summoned by the Mumbai police, the 36-year-old stand-up comic's caustic comments on Shinde during his latest show in Mumbai have landed him in trouble and triggered a huge row.


The controversy stems from Kamra's show at the Habitat Comedy Club in Mumbai's Khar, where he performed a parody song targeting Shinde. The act prompted a strong backlash from Shiv Sena supporters, who vandalised the club and the hotel in which it is located on Sunday night.


Kamra was booked by the Khar police on a complaint by Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel for allegedly making defamatory remarks against the deputy CM.


In his petition, Kamra submitted he has been working on and touring with his latest tour titled "Naya Bharat," over the past year.


The theme and content include a humorous yet criticial take on "Ambani's Wedding," Diwali's impact--how the festival affects people, animals, and birds and Parody songs " "A musical finale that adds an extra layer of humor to the show".


He submitted he is innocent of the offences levelled against him and that he has been falsely implicated in the case.


Although the FIR has been registered in Khar, Mumbai, Maharashtra, he is seeking anticipatory bail from Madras HC as he resides within its jurisdiction and "fears imminent arrest at the hands of the 2nd Respondent police if he were to travel to Mumbai and seek regular Anticipatory bail there."


"He also fears actual physical bodily harm and threats to his life and personal liberty in the event of his arrest by the 2nd Respondent police, a threat which has been chillingly made in public by political party cadres."


He said he has no political affiliation and has been a vocal supporter of enforcing and protecting the Constitution of India.


On the contentious show that has kicked up the present row, Kamra submitted he performed his new stand-up comedy show "Naya Bharat" at a venue in Mumbai in February 2025 and it was uploaded on his Youtube Channel on the 23rd of that month.


On March 23, persons claiming to be political activists vandalised the alleged venue of the petitioner's performance in Khar. On the same day, Khar Police Station also received the information from the complainant, Andheri East MLA Patel.


"It is alleged by the complainant that during the said performance of the petitioner, he defamed the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Mr Ekhnath Shinde by making slanderous statements on his conduct. The complainant further alleged that the petitioner's performance has damaged the reputation of their party and fostered animosity between the rival political parties."


"It is pertinent to mention here that the disputed songs/poem narrated by the petitioner does not name anyone, leave alone the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra," he claimed.


Kamra contended that from the date of release of this Youtube video, he has been receiving threats of physical harm and death on various social media platforms and even on his personal email and mobile phone.



"Such threats and warnings are primarily coming out of the Mumbai area. These are death threats and threats of harm to my life and the lives of my loved ones. The Petitioner submits that he is scared for his life and liberty if he goes to Mumbai on 31.03.2025 (as summoned by Khar police)," he said. He listed out the various statements made by Shiv Sena leaders to buttress his claim on threats.


Petitioner contended "he was innocent and wrongly and baselessly implicated in the said offences." He was ready to cooperate with the officers of the Respondent (police) and willing to supply them all the information and material sought by them.

Comments

bottom of page