Karnataka elections: Wanted: Someone to pick faults
...The elections in Karnataka could take us closer to some more emboldening of an already raging party (if BJP were to win and form government). We are already somewhere closer to a monopolistic structure. It would be good in the long run if the Congress pulls up its socks and positions itself as an efficient opposition. The questioning of the government's functioning and the debates that follow should be intelligent and smart. India's problem is that it has never had a good opposition, at least not recently. Even when UPA-II was crumbling under its own pressure in 2011-2012, the now- ruling BJP came across as absent as opposition. It was the anti-corruption campaign of Anna Hazare followed by the protests in the aftermath of the Nirbhaya gang rape which led to the downfall of the UPA-II government and made space for the BJP/NDA to take over through an astounding victory. A strong opposition ensures a healthy political environment in a country which in turn leads to...
-- excerpt from the edit piece of the current issue (13 May)