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Amid Yogi Adityanath’s 100 days in power, Opposition rudderless say political analysts
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav also came under criticism for not taking on the ruling party in the bypolls held in SP bastions – Azamgarh and Rampur
Since the first week of taking charge in Uttar Pradesh, the Yogi Adityanath 2.0 government began elaborating on the plans for the first 100 days, targets, projections and execution, but the opposition seemed directionless after the 2022 assembly poll debacle.
Barring the usual pandemonium in the Assembly on the Governor’s address to the joint session of Yogi’s government’s first budget session in May-end and the spat between deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and leader of opposition Akhilesh Yadav in the House, the opposition only seemed to be issuing statements.
There were no dharnas, demonstrations or public protests, on the part of the opposition parties.
Opposition parties, including the Samajwadi Party (SP), neither engaged in any post-poll debacle introspection nor organised any major convention, executive meetings, brain-storming sessions or public meetings.
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav also came under criticism for not taking on the ruling party in the bypolls held in SP bastions – Azamgarh and Rampur. The opposition lost these two crucial Lok Sabha seats, and the poll outcome added up to the 100-days achievements column of the BJP.
“The opposition was virtually absent in these 100 days. It seems like the opposition is not finding any major shortcomings to flag to the public or they are too demoralised and want to let the ruling party have its way. All the opposition parties merely did ‘bayanbaazi’ (issuing statements),” said Professor SK Dwivedi, a political analyst and former head of the department of political science, Lucknow University.
If there was any issue on which the opposition showed some semblance of its presence, then it was the Agnipath scheme for defence recruitments. But that issue pertains to the Central government and not the UP government.
In these 100 days of the UP government, one of the significant developments in the opposition camp was SP chief Akhilesh Yadav choosing to become the leader of the opposition in the UP Assembly – a responsibility he shoulders for the first time. Another thing that the opposition made news about was the beginning of the rift 2.0 between Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle Shivpal Yadav (chief of Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party-Lohia). After the two came together for the 2022 polls, both of them once again don’t see eye to eye. Akhilesh also lost two of his smaller allies -- Mahan Dal and Janwadi Party (Socialist). During this time, Azam Khan, the Muslim face of the SP and Rampur MLA, stepped out of jail after two years.
Besides, the Samajwadi Party had to face criticism from its own party leaders and camps of Muslim leaders for not doing enough for the Muslims.
The Congress continues to be without a state president after the previous UPCC head Ajay Kumar ‘Lallu’ resigned from the post following the Congress high command’s instructions.
The opposition even doesn’t seem to have any plan of action for the next 100 days, said political analysts.
