A strong Opposition is the most reliable guarantor of freedom
Published on: 15 August 2024, 06:06 am
On Independence Day, a dive into the Constituent Assembly's archives that advocated for a strong Opposition to be the pulse of Indian democracy and the biggest guarantor of freedom.
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AS India celebrates her 77th Independence anniversary this year, the emergence of a formidable Opposition in the 18th Lok Sabha that holds the government to account has become a defining feature of the country.
It affirms the Constituent Assembly's legislative intent and M.K. Gandhi's vision which favoured a strong and resilient Opposition.
Gandhi's idea of swaraj
Gandhi's illuminating exposition of swaraj, articulated a hundred years ago in 1925, embodied not just the idea of securing power from British authorities to rule India, but also the importance of making Indians aware of their critical role in exercising regulation and control over those wielding that power.
“"Swaraj is to be obtained by education of the masses to a sense of their capacity to regulate and control authority," said M.K. Gandhi.
That prescient vision of Gandhi was nothing but a vision for a strong Opposition. On January 29, 1925, he outlined his invaluable perspective in Young India wherein he wrote, "By swaraj I mean the government of India by the consent of the people as ascertained by the largest number of the adult population, male or female, native born or domiciled … and who have taken the trouble of having registered their names as voters."