Opposition seeks to kill promising government reforms

Crucial decisions that had the potential to bring longterm reforms, announced by the BJP government in the past few years, have now been shelved because of the noise created by pressure groups, both within the National Democratic Alliance, the Opposition, and civil society.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

These pressure groups have not only been successful in stalling key policyrelated reforms but have also been able to force the government to pass laws against well-argued and rational decisions of the Supreme Court, which they believe do not suit their politically vested narrative.

Apart from the most recent instance of making a U-turn on the lateral recruitment policy, the BJP government at the Centre had to take back significant reform announcements like the three farm laws, step back on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 in Parliament, and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act of 2018.