By Sarita Mahapatra
The last month of 2013 witnessed one of the path breaking events in the history of Indian politics. What appeared to be a cut throat competition between the two most powerful warring parties – BJP and Congress, finally ended with low profile Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) taking away the baton and gaining the status quo of “people’s party. Even though there were lots of speculations over who would win the state elections in Delhi, a common vibe reverberated amongst the common men; Congress should not get another chance. Blame it on the series of corruption charges dating back to the 2010 Commonwealth games, unfriendly public policies, high inflation or the insensitivity towards gender specific issues, Congress had clearly lost the trust of the commoner long before the elections.
The newbie in the town, the AAP, has turned out to be the new buzzword and its founder, Arvind Kejriwal, has become the new superhero, not only in Delhi but also the country. All eyes are pinning hopes on the party to bring about a revolutionary change in Indian politics. With everyone eagerly waiting to see what this “self declared” people’s party can deliver to the common man, the party founder, 45 years old, Kejriwal promises to uproot corruption from the Indian politics. Looking at the party dynamics, the AAP team comprises of young and educated enthusiasts from various backgrounds who are willing to bring a change in the system.
At the dawn of 2014, Delhites received a New Year gift in the form of free water supply and 50% slashed power rates. Delhi received its first anti bribery hotline number and Delhi was stripped off its VIP culture with the ban on red beacon lights on government vehicles. All this happened within days after Kejriwal was sworn as the new CM of Delhi. Other issues in the offing are revision in CNG price, better public transport, putting a ban on donations made to private school etc. Although the opposition parties have little confidence in the new policies and term them as unrealistic, it is evident that if AAP stands firm on its philosophy and ideologies, Indian politics will see a major change in the coming years. Needless to say, AAP has raised the expectations of the common man.
On many occasions in the previous years, the prices of petrol and its by-products have been reduced to counter the angst of people momentarily, but only to be hiked in the next two months, on the pretext that oil companies are incurring a loss or the government is spending a lot on the subsidies. If the same happens under AAP governance, people will have zero tolerance. The party has no scope to falter.
Nevertheless, the blueprint of AAP’s agenda backed up by a team of educated young individuals has brought a ray of hope for the Indian politics. If Delhi becomes a success story, then other states will demand to follow the same route. Finally, India may hope to see an empowered country and re-define democracy which has lost its meaning over a period of time. For the next quarter, the common man needs to sit back and watch the quick action plan of the AAP.
The author is a graduate in Physics (Hons) and a degree in teaching from Delhi University. Currently working as an analyst with EY after pursuing MBA in Finance. Has myriad interests such as writing, sketching and art. Believes that learning is a lifelong process and every attempt is a step towards improvement. Unconventional and non conformist is the keyword. A cynic who questions the irrational norms of the society.Believes that Education should equip one with the power to speak ones mind and act as a catalyst for social change. Previously worked as free lance content writer, associated with National Social Services and likes to read or write blogs in free time so that empty mind does not become devils workshop. Future endeavours would like to be in the field of business research.