Stop ruling; start governing

In every election the voters elect a government.

- R. PRASANNAN

This time, they elected an opposition. They also elected a government to rule them, but to govern them.

First about the opposition. Paul Harrington said, "Democracy can be measured on the existence of an opposition," but India's democracy has been working without one for a decade. Indeed we had men and women in Parliament who carped, cried and quarrelled with the regime, but rarely held the regime to account. They were mere critics of the regime, and not a parliamentary opposition. Now the voters have elected a formidable opposition.

Now about the government. For ten years, Team Narendra Modi has been ruling India brooking no opposition, save once from the farmers who didn't like the laws that the rulers had made. Everything else from note ban of an eight-year-old November night to the rejig of the penal laws in the recent months-was implemented or legislated with complete disregard to criticism.

For ten years, India was being ruled. Now the people have spoken: stop ruling us, and start governing us.