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It is time to resume political activity -Suyash Rai and Milan Vaishnav

-Hindustan Times

While open political contestation faces hurdles, the government needs to be held accountable

Five weeks ago, the nationwide lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi placed the Indian economy in cold storage. It also seems to have put politics on ice. As the government prepares to gradually dial down the economic freeze on May 3, politics, too, must emerge from its hibernation. Politics — at its core — is about forging a settlement out of diverse public policy positions. Indeed, the very nature of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) invites divergent approaches to halting the spread of the virus and blunting its impacts.

And yet, the current moment presents a set of paradoxes in the political realm.

First, although the pandemic presents a unique political moment with enduring consequences for parties and leaders, it also is a fraught time for political mobilisation. National crises are usually conceived as opportunities for citizens to rally around the flag, perhaps even more so in India than in many other democracies. Therefore, it is not easy for the Opposition to critique the government’s handling of the crisis.

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