Opinion Deal with it

As a report in this newspaper has pointed out, the BJP is unlikely to have a majority in the Rajya Sabha during its term in office. At present, the party has 45 MPs and the NDA 60 in the Upper House as against the Opposition’s 132 — the Rajya Sabha has a maximum strength of 250 seats and currently houses 243 MPs. At best, the BJP numbers could reach 70 and, if its allies do well too, the NDA tally could touch 100 in 2018. Even then, the combined Opposition is likely to retain the upper hand with 105 MPs. These numbers have clear political import.

They underline that, in spite of being the first party in three decades to gain a simple majority in the Lok Sabha, the BJP will have to work out ways to coexist with a dominant Opposition in the Rajya Sabha in the long term. This might require the ruling party to craft a new political and parliamentary strategy. So far, the BJP has sought to circumvent the Opposition by issuing ordinances on crucial issues — there have been eight since last May. There has also been much loose talk about the calling of joint sessions of Parliament to get important bills passed. Earlier, the BJP denied the Congress the post of leader of the Opposition and then refused to address the Opposition’s demands for a debate on controversial statements made by ministers and leaders of the Sangh Parivar. With President Pranab Mukherjee repeatedly signalling that the government must take the ordinance route only in exceptional circumstances, and that bills must be fully debated in Parliament before becoming law, the BJP may need to rethink the way ahead.

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The onus is on the BJP to reach out to the Opposition and establish a working relationship with it. There must be more conversation and dialogue, and attempts to persuade or divide the Opposition. A Congress-mukt India may work as a rousing campaign slogan, but in Parliament, the BJP must learn to acknowledge the Opposition and talk to it. One way ahead could be by negotiating with the smaller parties in order to build pressure on the Congress to cooperate. Perhaps the party’s recent outreach to the AIADMK — an opponent in Tamil Nadu, but a significant presence in the Rajya Sabha with 11 MPs — indicates a change in the BJP approach.