It’s not Anarchy when Actions express priorities :: “Do not fear when your enemies criticize you. Beware when they applaud” Ralph Waldo Emerson’s words from over a century ago seem to have been written especially for the likes of leaders like Arvind Kejriwal who is today being reviled and criticized by the press and the opposition alike. The man and his party – ironically, ignored by the press all through the run up to the Assembly elections of December 2013 – took everyone by surprise by winning 28 of the 70 seats in the Delhi Assembly. After the elections the Aam Aadmi Party could do no wrong. The party and its members were feted and celebrated. They were the darlings of the media and went on to fulfill the referendum-selected desire of the people of Delhi by forming a government. Today, just 33 days later they can do no right. The young ministers and leader alike, showing their inexperience in traditional ‘politics’ and in savvy media management have stumbled and fallen a few times. And instead of lauding their efforts to change the system and to make the difference they promised in their election manifesto we – the media, the opposition, the drawing room intellectuals, the very aam aadmis ourselves – have chosen to criticize, despair at and denigrate its performance. Of course the media and the opposition have their own eyes and vested interests that can explain its behaviour and Mr Kejriwal should take some succour from Emerson’s wise words above. It is a worthwhile exercise to sit back and analyze what this fledgling party has managed to achieve over the past 14 months of its existence and why its phenomenal rise has provoked such sharp responses from all. The political parties that have traditionally held power over the majority of the country, with or without regional allies, have suddenly found themselves in a David vs Goliath scenario. And we all know how that story ended. The meteoric growth and rise of this group of non-political people from different walks of life has left them nervous, insecure and afraid of what the future holds for them. The two pan-Indian behemoths (the Congress and the BJP), for all their posturing and opposition to each other, have basically passed the country between themselves and have become used to a scenario where they were the key players. For the first time they see themselves looking into a not so distant future where they may both be in the opposition benches with the country in the hands of a neophyte. This is an unsettling feeling for both of them. This country, which was being viewed by them as their personal fiefdom and jaagir is now looking to bring in a breath of fresh air in the form of the Aam Aadmi Party. For far too long has the tradition of dynastic politics – where sons inherit the political mantle and the seats of power of their fathers – has continued unabated. This is not limited to any one party. 29% of the Lok Sabha is made up of members of political families. This number is only set to increase since this game is being played not just by the traditional political families like the Nehru-Gandhis, the Abdullahs, the Mulayams, the Pawars ,the Thakareys or the Patnaiks but also the Gogois, Karunanidhis, Chandys, Hoodas and many others from all over the country who are waiting in the wings, ready to create political dynasties of their own. While no one wishes to deny talented and dedicated young men and women the chance to take the country or a constituency forward, it is a dangerous trend if the sole criterion in selecting this young person is their surname and nothing else. It is this status quo as well that the new party threatens because all of a sudden their assured place in the business house type succession plan that is today’s politics is being challenged. The very ordinariness of the new party, which places a high value on austerity, intentions and simplicity – three virtues which are almost impossible to find in today’s politics – also forces the current crop of political leaders to take a new look at how they conduct themselves in public. The Aam Aadmi Party’s elected representatives have refused fancy homes, red beacon cars and ostentatious security details. This non traditional approach changes the ground rules and compels the other newly elected state governments of BJP to try and match up to this new standard of public lifestyle, irrespective of whether their election manifesto promised this to their voters or not. The Aam Aadmi Party grew out of a groundswell against corruption and a lack of transparency in government dealings that affect the daily lives of millions of the inhabitants of this country. The sheer pace of its growth – from a popular movement to political party to government – has left us breathless. The same swiftness is now being expected from this young government when it comes to its performance as an administrator. The party came to power fully expecting the rug to be pulled from under its feet in less than a week. This propelled it to speedily implement the two commitments of its pre-election manifesto to the common man – that of water and electricity. No one can deny the validity of the point that the sit-in was supposed to demonstrate that a force responsible for maintaining law and order of a population of 16 million should be responsible to its citizens and not to the central government. It then went on to introduce an anti corruption helpline and to start the audit process of private power distribution companies. While the opposition was prompt in criticizing any failings it may have perceived in these radical new steps, it goes without saying that these unconventional methods of actually fulfilling the agenda points of the election manifesto is a refreshing change from previous governments and their tendency to ignore the voter and his needs once power is safely in their hands. The party has now announced the steps being taken to create a Mahila Suraksha Dal to ensure increased safety for women in the capital. Next up is the Jan Lokpal bill – the cornerstone of this party’s humble origins – that will be presented early this month. The process for setting up new schools is in motion. Once again the new player on the block has raised the bar for government performance and accountability to its people. Is it any wonder that the BJP is crying itself hoarse declaring the one-month-old party an utter failure of governance? Does it think that the people of this city-state are really that ignorant and unaware that they are unable to see and judge for themselves? The BJP is calling for an opinion poll to know the view of the people across the city on the issue, ignoring the recently concluded ABP News- Nielsen opinion poll which had 63% of the respondents surveyed stating they would vote for the AAP if Delhi Vidhan Sabha elections were held the following day (the poll was conducted on Jan 25 and 26 of this year, after the so called infamous dharna or sit-in in front of Rail Bhavan by the Chief Minister and his MLA’s). The latest tool in the games being played to discredit the Aam Aadmi Party is the new word in the vocabulary “Anarchy”. While one could debate the real meaning of this word and whether it truly applies to the methods adopted by this party, it is even more meaningful to maybe turn the tables and ask those who are using this word ad nauseum whether their own behaviour could also be described thus. The country has suffered with looting of national assets, be it the Yeddyurappa government led mining scam, telephony spectrum allocation scam, the Commonwealth Games scam, and the turning of a blind eye by the government to those in high political offices who directly or indirectly perpetuated these scams; is this not anarchy? Use of police force (lathi charge) to break up demonstrations by young students protesting against government inaction during the Nirbhaya episode in December 2012; is this not anarchy? Systematic government-condoned massacre of innocent people belonging to specific communities (Sikhs in 1984, Muslims in 2002, Kokrajhar In 2012, Muzaffarnagar in 2013 to name but a few); is this not anarchy? Destruction of government property during demonstrations by groups under the protection of various political factions, vandalism, destruction of toll booths, attacks on women in pubs in Mangalore by self appointed guardians of morality; is this not anarchy? State-condoned xenophobia – north easterners targeted in Bangalore during the Assam riots, migrant workers of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar targeted in Maharashtra; is this not anarchy? Going by the popular definition of the word, all of the above is not anarchy but a senior minister conducting a sit-in to demand accountability from the city’s police department is. Opposition can debate whether a sit-in by the Chief Minister to protest against the Home Affairs Ministry stand regarding control over the functioning of the police by the Delhi government is the right method or not. However no one can deny the validity of the point that the sit-in was supposed to demonstrate that a force responsible for maintaining law and order of a population of 16 million should be responsible to its citizens and not to the central government. The critics of the method are overlooking one key point – this is a new government, a new way of thinking and a new way of acting. The old ways have so far been proven to be ineffective and are simply a convenient curtain behind which successive administrations have chosen to hide. There is a new player in town that has chosen to demonstrate that this small city-state can be turned around to become a model state and whose governance can be the inspiration for others around the country. Is it any wonder that the Congress is ruing the fact that they extended supported to the sunrise party and that the BJP is trying to discredit it as much as possible because this new model is showing them up in a bad light and exposing their past failures? This is a government that refuses to sit in the office and be guided by bureaucrats into playing according to the “rules” because they are in fact rewriting the rules. This AAP government is on a mission, a government that has done remarkable things in their first 30 days in power, a government, which to the horror of those opposing it, has now sets its sight on a bigger role at national platform. The basic premise seems to be that incorrect norms institutionalized by previous establishments are to be continued – and what a hue and cry if someone goes against it! Any attempt at genuine correction results in the system going to any extent to tarnish the image of such an honest movement. But history works under divine guidance. No amount of force, propaganda or money power has ever been able to stop a movement that has touched the inner feelings of the people. This movement’s success will not be measured by the number of seats the AAP gets in the Lok Sabha election, but in the fact that all political parties will be compelled to tone down their brazen arrogance and flaunting of power – behaviour which has not raised an eyebrow in the past. Now any political person or party which considers this country as their fiefdom will have to rethink that assumption. They will simultaneously be overzealous in protecting their image, because the aam aadmi of this country has finally has stood up for himself. AAP’s fortune in the elections – win or loss or stalemate – is immaterial. If its vision of transparent, corruption-free and participatory democracy gets lost somewhere in an obscure corner of the current political arena, then even winning of 273 seats by any political party will be inconsequential and will be just another march to a status quo flag post. In such a scenario, the biggest loser will be not just the common man but the nation as a whole. Even if AAP manages to win a single seat and keeps its core ideology of transparent, corruption free and participatory democracy intact, alive and kicking, then this singular idea will flourish to such an extent that in coming days, it will be counted as one of the milestone moments in the transformation of our country into a great nation, as dreamt by visionaries like Gandhiji and Sardar Bhagat Singh.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Feb 2014 18:33:55 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015