So according to media reports, AAP is self destructing. Interestingly, nothing else about AAP is found to be newsworthy. Not the mohalla sabhas in Delhi, where AAP MLAs are going to people asking them how to best utilise the 4 crores MLA funds. Something previously unheard of in Indian politics. People have offered land on which a dispensary and training center are going to be built. Somnath Bharti responded to a late night complaint (much like he did in the infamousKhirki case) from residents and within 3 days, arranged for water supply where there has been none for 20 years. But this does not make for good TRP, does it? News of infighting and people leaving AAP makes headlines. Well, my take on this is that this dissent is normal, inevitable and a sign that AAP is alive, kicking and raring to go. AAP was born from the turbulence of a movement, just a year and half ago and was immediately plunged into the rough and tumble of elections, first Delhi and then LS. It hardly has had any time for party building, setting up systems of internal democracy, communication etc. Now voices are coming up in various forms of expression and I would have been surprised and concerned if this had not happened. AAP is a disparate group of people who have come together because they resonate with and love AAPs ideology. For many of us there is no other option really.At AAP meetings I see such a varied group, consisting of all ages, all sorts of backgrounds. And its encouraging to see many women. I just think that with all this disparity, we would be sure to have dissent.But again if we could handle the dissent well, we could come up with decisions made from a wide variety of inputs, from a rich knowledge pool. We hear news of people defecting and raising voices of dissent in Congress and BJP on a regular basis. No big deal is made of it by the media. So lets wait and watch and not be disheartened by what the media reports about AAP.
Posted on: Sat, 07 Jun 2014 06:18:50 +0000