“How’s the josh?” was the line made famous in a not-my-kind-of-film which still did well at the box office five years ago. Now, ask any member of the Opposition in Parliament the same question. How’s the josh? There is a distinct spring in the steps of Members of Parliament from Opposition parties, both in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

Since the results of Elections 2024, Parliament has held two sessions. The first one was for seven days, the second for 15 days. As an observer and participant, let your columnist share five reasons which kept the Josh Quotient (JQ) of the Opposition parties high.

Skittish Floor Management: Compare the Budget Session of 2009, when Dr Manmohan Singh was elected for his second term, to the just concluded Budget Session where Narendra Modi (albeit with support from his NDA allies) began his third term.

In 2009, the House ran for 33 days, introducing 17, and passing eight Bills. Budget Session 2024 ran for 22 days and then adjourned ahead of schedule. Both Houses were abruptly cut short on Friday afternoon, instead of Monday (That the Hindenburg story broke on Saturday night was purely a coincidence!). There were some obvious signs of skittishness. Fourteen Bills were introduced, only three were passed. The Union government did not agree to discussions on the working of the Home Affairs Ministry and the Defence Ministry, even though 15 parties demanded that these two sensitive ministries get discussed.

Leader of the Opposition: For the first time in a decade, there was a Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha. The “Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Act” of 1977 describes the Leader of Opposition as a member in either House who belongs to a party in Opposition with the “greatest numerical strength”.

While the Act does not prescribe it, the convention followed (as prescribed by Lok Sabha Speaker GV Mavalankar in 1956) is that a party must secure at least 55 seats to nominate a member for the post. While the Congress had 52 MPs in the 17th Lok Sabha, this time with almost 100 MPs, the party officially laid claim to the position.

Constitutionally and psychologically, this really pumped up the INDIA alliance in the House of the People. Rahul Gandhi would have been happy with the runs he scored in his debut innings.

Opposition Firepower: Another leader, also in his 50s, sitting in the front row was Akhilesh Yadav. The former chief minister and now MP from Kannauj was leading his team of 37 MPs — up 32 seats from what the Samajwadi Party had in the 17th Lok Sabha. Also, turning on the heat was 36-year-old National General Secretary of the Trinamool Congress, Abhishek Banerjee. Trinamool, too, had upped their numbers. From 22 to 29, including 11 women MPs.

Rahul Gandhi’s maiden speech as Leader of Opposition, with the theme of Shiva and non-violence, most certainly got under the skin of the BJP. Yadav was in his element, slamming the government on examination paper leaks. Speaking on the Budget, Banerjee’s 45-minute speech and interaction with the Lok Sabha Speaker went viral for all the right reasons. Here was a three-time MP showing the Chair utmost respect and yet firmly making his point — why the objection to him speaking about demonetisation that happened eight years ago, when BJP MPs were allowed to talk about Pandit Nehru and the Emergency from decades ago?

Gandhi, Yadav and Banerjee, charged with 164 MPs between the trio, were a potent force on the floor of Lok Sabha. The three have contrasting styles of delivery, but were high on content and political nuance. A strong contingent of MPs from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and members of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi also weighed in on issues of national importance.

From Bengal to Tamil Nadu, from Uttar Pradesh to Maharashtra, the Opposition was backed by the assuredness and guidance of popular or former chief ministers and by a genuine appeal among citizens tired of local BJP/NDA governments. The Opposition represented the pulse, energy and diversity of India. The government stood for jaded Delhi power brokers and neo-Lutyens fat cats.

BJP’s New Parliamentary Team: Even though Narendra Modi decided to brazen it out and not change portfolios of ministers handling key ministries, the ruling dispensation did opt for a comparatively new team to run Parliament. J P Nadda was appointed Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha, replacing Piyush Goyal who won his Lok Sabha seat. The seemingly more affable Kiren Rijuju replaced Pralhad Joshi as the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs. First-time MP L Murugan from Tamil Nadu was made the new Minister of State (MoS) for Parliamentary Affairs.

The Sonia Gandhi Effect: The five-term Lok Sabha MP was making her debut in the Council of States. She chose not to make her maiden speech in Rajya Sabha or to intervene in the 22 days when Parliament was in session. Even without switching the microphone on, her actions, demeanour and gestures invigorated the 26 Congress MPs. Her presence also had a great unifying effect on the INDIA parties. Josh!

[This article was also published in The Indian Express | Friday, August 16, 2024]