The silence of the Opposition parties constituting the INDIA coalition on the recently released report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) speaks volumes about the state of affairs within the Opposition. The recent losses in the elections in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Mizoram has pushed the Opposition parties into individual huddles, say sources in the know. Also, the suspension of members from the Opposition benches in the Lok Sabha has added to the silence.
The report points to an increase in violence against marginalised groups like women, Adivasis, and the Dalits.
The annual crime report revealed a surge in crimes against women in India. A majority of these crimes were categorised as cruelty by the husband or his relatives, followed by kidnapping, assault, and rape. The NCRB has emphasised the need for an exhaustive yet comprehensive probe into the factors contributing to this distressing trend.
The data also points to increasing atrocities against the Dalits and the Adivasis. The data also highlights that atrocities against the Dalits and the Adivasis have kept increasing between 2013 and 2022 with the BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh notching higher statistics.
Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh have also recorded higher levels in the oppression of Dalits and Adivasis. The recent electoral successes of the BJP in a way indicate that social justice for the marginalised sectors of the society is not an issue with the voters. Violence against classes that are socially disempowered does not seem to move the votes.
It is as if the Opposition leaders have either not read the NCRB report or have gone into collective hibernation putting the report on the backburner.
According to one of the Opposition leaders from Maharashtra, while there is an urgent need for the regrouping of the INDIA coalition on this issue, it is as if “there is a lethargy amongst the Opposition leaders to address the issues brought out by the Opposition”.
The leader says that he is shocked by the silence of his party leader Shaad Pawar on the report.
“I am very surprised and shocked that there is no comment from Sharad Pawar Saheb on the issue. Women, Dalits, and Adivasis are socially the most backward in terms of power and violence against them has gone up. If stalwarts in the Opposition keep quiet, it is not a good sign for democracy,” says the leader.
Even the otherwise vocal NCP leader Supriya Sule has maintained silence on the report. The otherwise aggressive Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav, Omar Abdullah, and the Opposition leaders from South India too have not reacted.
The NCRB is a central government agency under the Ministry of Home Affairs and is responsible for gathering nationwide data on crimes. These findings are released as a comprehensive report every year and give valuable insights about the state of crimes in the country. The increase or decrease in crimes in a state directly points to the effectiveness of the state government in controlling crime.
Given the fact that the Opposition parties and its leaders have taken on the BJP-led central government aggressively on every occasion, given the situation on the ground as indicated in the NCRB Report, the silence from them is not a good sign. It points to a defeated Opposition.
“It is as if the Opposition is still analysing their recent electoral defeats. Maybe, the marginalised do not matter at all,” says Monica Sekhri, a political party worker.
