In 2024, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) finds itself grappling with a shift in power. Once the unstoppable juggernaut, the party has seen its Lok Sabha seat count plummet from 303 in 2019 to 240 in the 18th Lok Sabha. The BJP’s traditional dominance, which allowed it to push through legislation with minimal opposition, has diminished. The party now relies heavily on its allies to maintain its grip on power. This dependence has introduced new challenges for the BJP. It has forced the party to navigate more carefully with its allies, especially the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Janata Dal United (JDU).
These politically shrewd allies have made it clear that they are no longer to be taken for granted. In the Union Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had to ensure that both Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar went home happy.
For the first time in a decade, allies have been included in general body meetings of MPs and in various cabinet committees. The Prime Minister has even reconstituted the NITI Aayog, adding HD Kumaraswamy, Jitan Ram Manjhi, and Lalan Singh as special invitees.
After these adjustments, the Modi government believed it could march ahead with its agenda. The initial success of lifting the ban on government staff joining the RSS seemed to indicate smooth sailing. However, that optimism was short-lived.
A united Opposition, both within and outside Parliament, has been scrutinising and challenging the government’s decisions since June 4. When the government pushed forward with the Waqf Board Bill and Broadcast Bill, it faced unexpected backlash. On Tuesday, it had to roll back the lateral entry scheme into the bureaucracy.
Last week, when the UPSC had advertised openings for “talented and motivated Indian nationals” for senior roles within the Union government through lateral entry, all hell broke loose. The move faced massive criticism from the opposition as well as some of BJP key allies. Congress leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, along with other INDIA bloc parties, campaigned against the scheme. They argued that the move was an attempt to recruit officers loyal to the BJP’s ideological ally, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Gandhi alleged that the process is being used to bypass the UPSC and deny reservations to candidates from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC). He called it as an “attack on Dalits.”
The campaign proved effective, leading to the withdrawal of the advertisement. “Long live the Constitution! The Congress party’s fight for social justice for our Dalits, tribals, backward and weaker sections has foiled the BJP’s plans to snatch away reservation. Modi government’s letter on lateral entry shows that only the power of the Constitution can defeat the arrogance of a dictatorial regime,” Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said in a post on X.
Chirag Paswan, Union Minister and leader of the LJP (Ram Vilas), a key BJP ally, also praised the decision, a day after speaking out against the Centre’s lateral entry scheme. With that Paswan became the first leader from within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to clear his stance on the subject.
Bills that might have previously been pushed through with minimal debate are now subjected to rigorous scrutiny and negotiation. The Waqf Board Bill, which seeks to amend laws governing Islamic charitable properties, was recently presented in the Parliament.
Efforts were made to assure the ministers from the BJP’s key allies about the Waqf Bill, which was presented as a measure to enhance transparency and improve the management of Islamic charitable properties. Despite initial support from the allies, the TDP and Chirag Paswan later demanded that the bill be scrutinised by a parliamentary committee rather than being rushed through.
In response to these demands, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju announced that the bill would be referred to a committee for further review.
Similarly, the Broadcast Bill, aimed at regulating media content by proposing strict regulations, faced massive pushback. Media organisations and social media platforms expressed concerns that the bill would impose heavy-handed censorship and stifle free speech. The backlash forced the government to withdraw the draft bill and promise a revised version after broader consultations.
The parliamentary proceedings have become more deliberative now. The opposition, emboldened by the BJP’s diminished majority, has successfully challenged the government’s legislative agenda. Debates have become more thorough, with the budget discussion alone spanning 27 hours. The Opposition refrained from disrupting or blocking proceedings in the Lok Sabha, prompting Speaker Om Birla to call the session as the most productive in years.
With a robust Opposition now in place, the government can no longer push through legislation unchallenged, as it did with the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 five years ago. Around the fag-end of the 17th Lok Sabha, the Speaker had suspended 146 Opposition members. Home Minister Amit Shah’s controversial criminal law bills—Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Bill—were passed in the Opposition’s absence.
