[IHRO] Off Limits ~ article ***AAP must raise its game ~ seema mustafa Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his team have to grow up. And not do so by becoming like either the Congress or the BJP, far from it, but to bring in some order into their own style and way of functioning. Naivety is a blessing in these days of political cynicism but not for long, as after a time it starts resembling foolishness. So the janta darbar that went out of hand can be explained once but not over and over again to an electorate that is at best fickle in its affections. Also the decision to open arms to all and sundry through this ‘missed call’ membership business might allow in persons who will do more damage than good to the fledgling party. A little caution is always good, so that decisions can be bolstered with substance and a slightly long term approach. A door opened at a time is seen as expansion, all doors opened at once and then followed by a decision to close them one after another, is seen as anti-people. So it would have been good for AAP to move in with a few closed doors, and open these by creating situations conducive for the expansion. It is becoming clear now to its leadership as well that the decision to allow this huge membership could lead to anarchy and goonda-ism beyond their control. And that could spell a major problem for the party which is giving both the BJP and the Congress cause for serious worry, as they all move into the Lok Sabha elections. It is important for the new party to infuse substance and direction into its agenda instead of allowing individuals to say whatever they want, and then deny it if it gets too embarrassing or controversial. After all corruption alone cannot be the one issue for mobilisation as that could reach anarchic proportions without the support of a vision on all the other concerns of the Indian masses. For instance it is not particularly wholesome for an AAP leader like Kumar Vishwas to reduce his campaign against Congress scion Rahul Gandhi in Amethi to a vilification circus. Vishwas’s tone is offensive and ugly to say the least, and his accusations cheap and not even street smart. Surely the fight against corruption cannot endorse what amounts to a corrupt campaign of lies and falsehoods, and the AAP leadership should intervene to restore levels of dignity and propriety in this man’s campaign. So far of course, there seems to have been no effort to check and rein him in. Again some videos of Vishwas on Muharram and gender issues are in circulation, as another one where he poured praise on Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi. These have been dismissed by AAP as “old” videos but they remain a cause of serious concern as they are indicative of a mindset that does not easily go away. Vishwas spoke like a RSS flunkey in all these videos, taking really objectionable positions. And he is by all accounts a powerful AAP leader. The party should contain him, and by bringing in a substantive vision document ensure that his kind either fully accept what one hopes would be a progressive and secular doctrine, or leave the party altogether. While comparisons are odious, one is reminded of former Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh who rode to victory in difficult days on the basis of huge middle class support across the country, and especially in North India. He was seen as the messiah against corruption. The moment he implemented the recommendations of the Mandal Commission report, the support fizzled into anger, with the same persons who had carried him on their shoulders, burning his effigies. The honeymoon was over even before it had begun, but Singh stayed the course. AAP seems like a repetition of sorts, and its rather intelligent leadership must ensure that the ‘movement’ delivers without losing support or becoming irrelevant outside Delhi. And yet answers the complex concerns of India. Social justice and equity, secularism, security, caste equality and gender justice are all issues that need to be addressed when AAP moves out of sterile Delhi into the districts and villages of India where the poor have always been at the receiving end. A comment here or there to be withdrawn later will not be the substance that rural masses will be convinced with, and hence issues will have to be resolved within the party that clearly does not represent any one opinion. To be fair, many of the leaders within AAP are aware of it, and are probably working to ensure the same. Particularly as they have a huge constituency, growing by the minute, now and will need to keep it with them. The strategy will probably be to not enter controversial waters, but then in politics controversies are often stirred without deliberate intent. This does not take away from the success of the party that seems all set to roar into the national elections. It has managed to diffuse the Modi factor, with even corporate-owned media being left with little choice but to focus on AAP and its decisions. All kinds of persons, from the Left to the Right, are currently joining the new party and while it does seem to be its strength at this stage, it has to ensure that this does not become a weakness tomorrow. Arvind Kejriwal’s persona is clearly a rallying factor as it symbolises the aam aadmi image, but thought must also be given to the fact that women’s groups are staying away because of this highly patriarchal name. And the seemingly continuing indifference of the party to gender issues and concerns. The writer is Consulting Editor, The Statesman
Posted on: Sat, 18 Jan 2014 09:22:35 +0000