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Has India’s Opposition failed to present an alternative vision or is the government deflecting from real issues by branding criticism as anti-national?
Political commentator Mumtaz Patel, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla and Samajwadi Party spokesperson Faraz Kidwai at Rising Bharat Summit 2026.
A political discussion on Network18’s Rising Bharat Summit 2026 on Saturday quickly turned into a sharp exchange over whether India’s Opposition has failed to present an alternative vision — or whether the government is deflecting from real issues by branding criticism as anti-national.
The discussion began around Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent remarks that India has emerged as a global growth engine and manufacturing hub, and that the Opposition has been reduced to a “toolkit” of protest, opposing merely for the sake of it.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla defended the Prime Minister’s charge, arguing that the Opposition routinely undermines India’s achievements. “When India’s economic growth reaches 8%, (Congress leader) Rahul Gandhi calls it fake. When India succeeds with UPI, he says there is nothing in it,” Poonawalla said. He further labelled sections of the Opposition’s approach as a “fool kit” rather than a toolkit.
Citing government data, Poonawalla highlighted transformative progress over the past decade. “After Modi came, 250 million people have been lifted out of poverty… In 50 years, you (Congress) built 200,000 houses for the poor. In 10 years, we built 40 million houses.”
He also pointed to expanded toilet coverage, Ayushman Bharat health insurance, rising GDP growth, mobile manufacturing, and defence exports as proof that India’s development trajectory is strong. “If hate politics were the issue, why would voters keep choosing BJP?” he asked.
Samajwadi Party spokesperson Faraz Kidwai pushed back strongly, questioning both the data and the direction of leadership within the Opposition alliance. “The biggest ‘fool kit’ today is being run by the BJP,” Kidwai said, arguing that several headline promises — including raising manufacturing’s share of GDP to 25% and creating 10 million internships — have fallen short.
On the question of Opposition leadership, Kidwai made a striking assertion: “If the INDIA leadership is given to (SP chief) Akhilesh Yadav, then in 2029 he could become the future Prime Minister of this country.” He added bluntly, “Yes, Rahul Gandhi isn’t able to,” when asked whether Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had failed to effectively lead the alliance.
Kidwai also disputed poverty reduction claims, alleging that the government relies on the Multidimensional Poverty Index in a way that may inflate success. “If someone gets a bank account — even with zero balance — they’re counted out of poverty,” he argued.
Social worker and political commentator Mumtaz Patel sought to steer the conversation back to citizens’ lived realities. She expressed disappointment that a debate framed around ‘Rising Bharat’ had devolved into partisan attacks. “This debate is about all of us — 1.4 billion citizens. The future of India cannot be in one person’s hands,” she said.
While acknowledging respect for the Prime Minister, Patel stressed that development must be measured beyond statistics. “The numbers look good on paper. But even today many people lack clean drinking water. Youth lack jobs. Government schools are poor… Until these fundamental issues are solved, nothing will change.”
The debate highlighted not just ideological divides but also internal tensions within the Opposition bloc.
February 28, 2026, 20:31 IST
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