Why India needs a responsible alternative—and why PK’s JSP could fill the void
India stands at a decisive political inflection point.
India’s next 25 years will be shaped by:
- Employment
- Technology
- Federalism
- Governance
- Social cohesion
Since Congress cannot reinvent itself, the nation must reinvent the opposition.
BJP today is electorally dominant, organizationally unmatched, ideologically coherent, and administratively performing. There is no felt need to replace the NDA/ BJP at the Centre.
Whether one is a ‘BJP bhakt’ or ‘BJP critic’, its structural strengths are undeniable.
This stability has helped India rise globally, from rapid GDP expansion to unprecedented geopolitical relevance.
But stability without an equally credible alternative creates a potential democratic weakness.
Let me hasten to add; I’m very happy with BJP and NDA. I’m not looking for an alternative.
India needs a responsible alternative
Opposition does not mean opposing everything.
A responsible opposition must practice co-opetition – compete when in honest disagreement, cooperate when the national interest demands.
As someone put it, the title of the ‘Leader of Opposition Party’ should be changed to ‘Leader of the Responsible Alternative Party’, resetting the role as well as expectation.
No party can rule forever. When the baton eventually passes hands from BJP, India will need a worthy successor that is equally sincere, competent, and patriotic, one that continues India’s upward trajectory rather than pulling it backward.
That is where India faces a serious vacuum.
Congress: A party with a trust deficit
Congress is not just losing elections; it has lost its source of credibility.
Its attacks on the BJP or on institutions like the EC carry no weight.
Once a political party loses voter trust, no new manifesto, spokesperson, committee, inducement, or slogan can revive it.
Congress is now firmly associated with:
- Corruption and entitlement
- Economic stagnation
- Minority appeasement
- Weak governance and poor job creation
- Organizational decay
- Dynastic ownership of the party
These perceptions are deeply entrenched.
When the messenger lacks credibility, the message becomes irrelevant.
Congress cannot revive itself through cosmetic leadership changes/ reforms, or new slogans/ manifestos, as long as the Gandhis continue to control it.
Why is internal reform of Congress impossible
Congress cannot reform itself for 5 structural reasons:
- Dynastic capture: The Gandhis treat Congress as their private property. They won’t let go of it.
- Organizational decay: There can never be inner-party democracy.
- Financial depletion: Most of the party’s wealth has been stashed away or is inaccessible.
- Perception trap: Voters associate Congress with corruption, incompetence, nepotism, and appeasement – perceptions that cannot be erased easily.
- No internal challenger: The dynasty can never be dethroned, ever after the current Gandhis.
Why Congress won’t shut shop in the near future, either
Congress still has a loyal but inadequate vote share to come to power, even as part of I.N.D.I. Alliance.
It’s, at best, stagnant and, realistically, declining.
In any case, the nation risks only regression, not progression, under the Gandhis.
So, a Congress comeback is neither likely nor desirable.
And Congress is most unlikely to shut shop, either.
How else can India’s opposition vacuum be filled?
AAP had its chance but collapsed under corruption scandals, opportunistic politics, contradictions between stated and practiced ideology, and its inability to scale beyond one state.
Regional parties are strong locally but cannot form a national alternative without a functional Congress. All attempts at forming I.N.D.I. Alliance have failed due to internal contradictions.
This leaves only one viable path: a new national party with long-term promise.
But since Congress still holds a sizeable (though inadequate) vote share, any new national party can’t get enough vote share to topple the BJP/ NDA.
This is where Prashant Kishor (PK) and the Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) come in, not as an immediate answer, but as a credible long-term possibility.
Why PK remains relevant despite losing Bihar very badly
PK’s loss in the Bihar Assembly election was not because he was discredited. He lost because he is new, his party is new, and he refused opportunistic alliances.
These can be used as strengths if handled wisely.
He spent over a year walking through Bihar’s villages, staying in people’s huts/ homes, listening and learning. This was authentic grassroots engagement.
Rahul Gandhi’s padayatra, in contrast, was an event-managed spectacle followed by a typical long foreign vacation.
A key popular political marketing principle applies:
- Fads rise fast and die fast. Trends rise slowly and endure.
So, PK’s loss in Bihar is only a temporary setback, not a long-term loss.
AAP was a fad, riding on the back of the Anna Hazare movement. It rose fast and is on the ebb.
JSP had no such props, and can become a trend if it survives the next 5 years with focus.
PK has many advantages:
- No corruption taint
- No dynasty baggage
- The technocrat’s understanding of governance
- Strong communication skills
- Grassroots connection
- Proven strategic ability
- Perceived good intentions
- Credible supporters like Pavan Varma
- No inherited sins
Few Indian political figures combine so many key strengths.
Why Bihar could be PK’s ideal launchpad
Bihar offers unique conditions for a political startup:
- A large youth population
- Weak, tired, and failed legacy parties
- Cultural familiarity of PK
- Low governance benchmarks
PK can’t ask for a better launchpad.
Bihar first, India next
JSP needs a 5-year plan:
- Adopt a simple, memorable Position: “Local Jobs. Governance for Next Generation”.
- Contest panchayat and municipal elections, state by-elections and 2029 Lok Sabha elections, and then 2030 assembly elections; any wins along the way will build legitimacy.
- Groom leaders from scratch; no need for defectors and tainted faces.
- Stay alliance-free at least until strong.
- Demonstrate governance capability wherever opportunity arises.
- Avoid AAP’s mistakes, like corruption, deception, freebies, and hypocrisy.
Attract Congress votebank
JSP’s national growth depends on attracting:
- Youth are tired of the dynasty politics of Congress and other opposition parties
- Congress’ liberal & secular minded grassroots workers seeking relevance
- Neutral voters want a clean alternative
- Anti-BJP voters who no longer trust Congress
If successful, JSP could become the national alternative within a decade, a distant dream but a real possibility. Even if it doesn’t succeed, it should stay put for the long haul; Bihar can continue to be its base.
The long shot is the only option
India cannot afford a credible opposition vacuum forever, since:
- BJP remains strong
- Congress is paralyzed
- AAP is discredited
- Regional parties can’t scale
What remains is the long shot.
History shows long shots often succeed:
- BJP itself began with just 2 MPs
- DMK, AIADMK, TDP, and others began small, too
If JSP succeeds, and PK is a genuine leader, unlike AK, India gains big time.
Is PK genuine or another deep-state creation like AK?
Time will tell. For now, I wish to believe he is a genuine person.
Even a small chance of PK emerging as a credible alternative is better than the near-zero chance offered by Congress and the regional parties.
This small chance makes the PK experiment not only desirable but also necessary.
Note:
1. Text in Blue points to additional data on the topic.
2. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.
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