From Dissent to Dereliction: How Opposition's Political Ambition Undermined National Security | Opinion

This article explores how India's Opposition turned a moment of national security, Operation Sindoor, into political theatre, undermining unity, ignoring security protocols and echoing foreign narratives instead of defending India's interests.

By Dr Prashant Barthwal

(Assistant Professor, Sri Aurobindo College, University of Delhi)

In a robust democracy, dissent is not simply desirable; it is indispensable. To question executive action, to probe military operations, to call for transparency are democratic duties, not distractions. But when dissent tips over into distortion, when scrutiny slides into sabotage, when opposition sounds, at times, as if it belongs on the mouthpiece of some foreign power, then it is no longer democracy that is strengthened, but democracy that is weakened at its heart. And that’s what happened during the Monsoon Session of Parliament of the Indian Republic, where the Opposition of India minus focus or coherence or any national duty conducted itself in a manner that will be remembered not for its parliamentary purpose, but for its institutional treachery.

Deep inside the vortex was Operation Sindoor — a strategically calibrated military operation in a highly-sensitive border region, conducted with surgical precision by the defence forces of India. The operation, not yet fully in the province of official discretion, was more than a tactical triumph. It signified India’s assertion of its sovereign prerogative to defend its borders, pre-empt malevolent action and reassert its regional power. In any other working democracy, the political class would have closed ranks behind its fighters asking questions if necessary, but always reinforcing a national voice when national security is at risk. But what India’s Opposition did instead was to seize upon this moment of military assertion and turn it into cheap political theatrics. In a theatrical confection of half-baked facts, conjectural accusation and rhetorical gymnastics, Opposition members charged the ramparts of both houses not to debate in constructive spirit but to defame the very objective of Operation Sindoor. They doubted the timing of such a move, its aims, and the actual need for it, despite well-defined strategic cues and the security challenges just taking form in the area that called for immediate defensive steps. Though the government provided closed door briefings to parliamentary party leaders and explained that operational details could not be made public to adhere to security protocols, the Opposition demanded an open session disclosure. This was not only an unreasonable demand; it was dangerous.

Then comes the question: what is the Opposition’s duty in respect of the nation confronting external security threats or fighting in secret or semi-secret wars? Of course, to ask questions, and to keep an eye out for threats posed by executive authority. But also — to defend the dignity of statecraft. To see a difference between opposing the government and opposing the country. Instead we saw Parliament abandon this very responsibility. Opposition bias against gov even in questioning what need be wasn't responsible but pretending in a way, on foreign narratives that aim to delegitimize India's sovereignty. Several top Opposition leaders, standing on Indian soil, having speeches have inserted into their mouths the reports of foreign media which have always been the echo chambers of anti-India lobbies. At a time when information warfare is a weapon that can be as deadly as artillery, for a nation’s own officials to be pushing adversarial narratives while pretending to be participating in democracy is nothing less than providing aid and comfort to the enemy.

Prime Minister Modi said in his stirring address to Parliament that questions are the soul of democracy but that intention counts. Critique born of care is not the same as censure made of loathing. “Opposition” behaviour this session exposed an insecure cocktail of opportunist intellectual indolence. Their rejection of keeping it real, their fetishization of optics and their willingness to wield national security as if it were partisan cudgel are a new low on the road to our democracy. Remember, we are not new to military operations under civilian control and parliamentary discretion where necessary. So they have become tacticians with no strategy, critics who can’t understand, and above all, patriots without principle. Disdain for the current government has transmuted into disdain for any institution that gets in the way of them and that power. It is a political culture that believes that if you’re not getting ahead by destroying, you’re not getting ahead at all. What rankles even more is trying to paint India’s muscle-flexing as a politically motivated flourish. In the process, they belittle the blood, sweat, and tactics of those in uniform. And when such statements are broadcast subsequently on allied foreign news portals that are inimical to India, they are inducted into the arsenal of soft power that is shelled against our republic.

Let there be no mistake: in a democracy, a robust Opposition is not an enemy it is an asset. But an Opposition that doesn’t know the difference between a political fight versus a national interest becomes a hindrance.” In trying to draw comparisons between Operation Sindoor and some kind of covert political orchestration, in alluding to conspiracies you have not an iota of evidence for and in shunning security briefings for camera-facing grandstanding, the Opposition let down not just the Parliament they betrayed the people. There are times in a nation’s history when unity is not a choice but an imperative. The Monsoon Session was meant to be one of them. An opportunity to demonstrate that beyond ideology and partisan politics, we are all united in defence of the Tricolour. That we disagree on policy, economy, welfare but when it comes to territorial sovereignty and national dignity, we speak with one voice. Instead, what the nation saw was an unedifying display of heckling, slogan-shouting and something bordering on sedition camouflaged in the velvet stole of parliamentary privilege.

Thus, Operation Sindoor was more than a military call, it was a trial of political wisdom. The government passed it. The armed forces aced it. But the Opposition flunked spectacularly. Their defeat is not only political, it is historical. One can only hope that history, when it jots down these days, does not overlook the mugs that preferred applause from adversaries over allegiance to their country. In a global age where perception is policy, and tweets become treaties, it’s not just what you do, but also what you say. And words will be spoken in Parliament this monsoon that will reverberate, not as thunder, but as a whisper of national remorse. Pray, in the coming storm, the Opposition does not scuttle the ship in anger at the man at the wheel.

(Author is Assistant Professor in Sri Aurobindo College, University of Delhi)

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