By Manisha Chachra
The magic of the ‘Jhaadu’ has begun. Arvind Kerjriwal has become the sensation of not only the national capital but of India as well. His voyage began from the protest for the Lokpal Bill, and carried on to all other expositions of the scams and scandals of Vadra and Gadkari. The people of Delhi have seen a gleam of hope in the ‘Nayak’. Consistent comparisons are made between the character of Shivaji Rao in the movie Nayak and Arvind Kejriwal. The man has captured the imagination of the nation, armed with the ‘Gandhi’ cap and the broom. The advent of Kejriwal in the political scene and the uproar caused by the Aam Admi Party stands directly in opposition to the dynastic politics of Congress and the protectors of ‘Hindu Dharma’ the BJP. Many might call it a Revolution at first glance. A revolution which is always evoking the ‘Aam Admi’ in its debates and arguments. The ‘Aam Admi’, says Kejriwal, can be a ‘Chai wala’, or a street food vendor . Anyone who is honest to his conscience in all his dealings, according to Kejriwal, is an ‘Aam admi’.
Politics is unpredictable. The issues of ‘bijli’, ‘paani’, and ‘Makan’ are very crucial to every household, and this is significantly where Arvind has struck a chord in the hearts of Delhiites. The issue of women protection which hardly got any heed in the election manifesto received a sudden stimulation after the ‘Nirbhaya’ incident. However, there are many key issues that still remain unresolved.
Kejriwal decided upon a manifesto that aimed to resolve issues the common man in Delhi deals with everyday. He was most vocal on the problem of municipal water supply. He declared that the government would provide 700 litres of water to all households. However, it turns out that a significant proportion of the population in the state have no water meters. Here, certainly, is an example of a ‘populist’ measure. How the AAP plans to provide plumbing to these sections of Delhi remains uncertain. The measure to lessen the rates of electricity has also met with some criticism. The tariffs fixed on electricity are not traditionally set by the government. On the contrary, they depend on a number of factors like infrastructure, human resource etc. P. Sudhakar was absolutely right when he said that electricity is a ‘regulatory issue’. Much of what the AAP has promised can be argued to be ‘populist’. There is a need to debate on the wisdom of implementing such measures, and the AAP would do well to address these with pragmatism.
Well, all in all, it is not a matter of debate that Kejriwal is resolute about the vows he made to the ‘Janta’. However, caution is what the ‘Janta’ needs to exercise here. The AAP’s attempt to go beyond the entrenched politics of the two mainstays- BJP and Congress, itself signals an era of change in Indian Politics. The importance of issues like violence against women, the rights of the LGBT community is as great as the issues of ‘bijli’, ‘paani’, and ‘makaan’. The AAP seems to be undecided on many these. As the general elections approach, the AAP will doubtless attempt to address a whole range of new problems. It remains to be seen whether the party continues to project itself as well as it has done so far. It is not difficult to fathom that the AAP might well turn out to be conservative after all. Its decisions regarding the repeal of Article 377, and its view of foreign policies are of great interest to this columnist.
The fact that the general working class in India has shown its approval of the Kejriwal led AAP so emphatically is not surprising. A majority of the Indian electorate is after all, of the proletariat. What is surprising, however, is that India has allowed itself to be cajoled and wooed so long by the right-wing ultra-conservative BJP and the Congress, which now attempts, and fails, to live up to the glory of its nationalist, socialist, pre-independence past. The AAP has so far not ventured to make public its views on Indias engagement with Pakistan, or how the country should manage is rapidly deteriorating relations with the USA, or indeed how it should deal with the increasingly fascist Russia.
The AAP ‘movement’, as it is popularly called, has so far been a movement of the working class, and its agenda has been quite reminiscent of the now almost extinguished democratic Left. Neo-liberalism is not an easy sobriquet to live up to for a party that attempts to win a national election in India. Though such tags hardly matter to the general electorate, it is important for them to understand that if the AAP turns out to be another conservative faction, all hopes of a revival of liberalism, perhaps even of a new proletariat movement, are lost. Therefore, Mr. Kejriwal, do not disappoint us.
Manisha Chachra: Being a lover of philosophy, I love reading anything related to life and its aspects. Also, a keen reader of political science. Presently, doing Masters from Jawaharlal Nehru University. Love debating and thus very argumentative. A passionate writer and an ardent blogger. To read more by me manishachachra.BlogSpot.com