What is the opposition supposed to do?

In ordinary political usage, the opposition consists of parties and legislators outside the governing side who challenge, scrutinise or propose alternatives to it. That broad description is different from the formally recognised office of Leader of the Opposition.

Do not assume the largest non-government party automatically holds every formal entitlement. Check the applicable House, law and recognition record before making a claim about a particular office.

What should scrutiny look like?

A useful opposition asks questions the government should answer: what is the evidence for a decision, what will it cost, who could be harmed and whether an announced programme is working.

Parliament provides scrutiny mechanisms including questions, committees and motions. The Union executive's collective responsibility to Lok Sabha is part of that institutional relationship. These mechanisms are not confined to television debates or social media criticism. 1 2 3

Disagreement is not enough

When assessing an opposition claim, use the same evidentiary standard you apply to the government. Does the criticism identify an actual document or outcome? Is a figure correctly interpreted? Does the proposed alternative explain its costs and constraints?

In a hypothetical example, a government says a water programme succeeded because connections increased. An opposition response is stronger when it asks about supply reliability and testing records than when it simply declares every connection fictional. Neither side's confidence replaces evidence.

Scrutiny is not exclusive to opposition parties

Questions about public decisions are not legitimate only when asked by an opposition politician. A government-supporting legislator, a journalist or an ordinary resident can also identify a gap between an announcement and the evidence.

As an editorial principle, this site should evaluate the gap itself. It should not assign a claim a different truth value depending on which side benefits from it.

Ask what happened after the criticism

Look for the response, amended proposal, committee finding or published correction. An exchange may expose an unresolved problem even when it produces no immediate policy change. Equally, loud criticism is not evidence that the critic's explanation is correct.

A useful question for any opposition party is: “What precisely should the government change, and what evidence supports your alternative?” A useful question for a government is: “What evidence answers that criticism?”