The Opposition in India is passing through a serious crisis of credibility. The issues, arguments, and narratives it has repeatedly raised are increasingly seen as neither rational nor grounded in facts. From the basic needs of ordinary citizens, to the aspirations of a rising India and the country’s larger policy challenges, the Opposition has struggled to play an effective and constructive role. Instead of offering credible solutions to the people’s real concerns, it appears increasingly caught up in an abstract battle of narratives, often built more on political allegations than on facts.

In a democracy, governments are routinely scrutinised. The Opposition, however, is rarely subjected to the same degree of scrutiny. Yet, the Constitution entrusts the Opposition with an important democratic responsibility, and it cannot evade that responsibility. The crisis deepens when the Opposition not only fails to discharge its role but its leadership also becomes increasingly obstinate, driven by a sense of entitlement and political arrogance. At its worst, such politics can push public discourse towards confrontation and disorder rather than democratic accountability.

For decades after Independence, the Congress either ruled at the Centre on its own or played a decisive role in governments supported by it. It therefore had a defining influence on India’s economic policies, budgets, administrative systems and development trajectory. Non-Congress governments did come to power at different points, but Congress remained the dominant force in national politics for several decades. Its long record in government must therefore be judged not merely by its achievements but also by its failures, policy choices and accountability. Over time, allegations of corruption, administrative inertia, policy indecision and questions surrounding leadership became central to political discourse. Public dissatisfaction grew, and the Congress steadily lost political ground.

In 2014, that accumulated discontent assumed a decisive electoral form. Under the leadership of Narendra........

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