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Education Minister of Delhi

A Surge in Indias Imagination

Chief Minister of Delhi

" Surge in Indias Imagination

"#$%!&$'#$($)*! Turn of events in Delhi continue to be incomprehensible to those who have expert knowledge of how democracy works in India. The Aam Aadami Party has defied expectations of experts on Westminster model of governance, through its unconventional methods of handling important governance issues by crowd sourcing citizens ideas through Jan Sabhas and Street activism. Rather than exercising his power as the chief executive of the state of Delhi from the chambers within the secretariat, Arwind Kejriwal continued to provoke popular imagination by protesting against the corrupt nexus between the politicians, business and administration, in addition to taking quick decisions on promises made during campaign. For the political elite, Arwind Kejriwals behavior smacks of irresponsible behavior of an elected chief executive; whereas to the thousands of young citizens of Delhi, who throng to the streets at the beck and call of AAP leadership, Arwind Kejriwal represents an irrepressible BAAGI (revolutionary), who they expect to first demolish the corrupt system and give people the participatory power to rebuild a new approach to governance.

Arwind Kejriwal did not join electoral politics to govern Delhi. Contrary to media campaign, Delhi citizens did not elect him just to govern Delhi, but to start cleansing the system. Delhi citizens did not respond with overwhelming enthusiasm first to Anna Hazare and then to the AAPs demand for Jan Lok Pal Bill, so they could capture power in Delhi. The genesis of AAP is in Indias disenchantment with apathetic, arrogant, and corrupt system that has eroded the dignity of ordinary citizens and turned politicians into pawns in the hands of rich industrialists. Kejriwal entered the swamp of electoral politics, despite advice to the contrary by his mentor Anna Hazare, So that he could flush the system from inside. The sight of a man flushing the gutter is ugly but the ultimate result promises to be desirable for the health of democracy.

All the three contenders to national imagination today- Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi and Arwind Kejriwal, want to demolish status quo- Narendra Modi wants to demolish, what he calls Pseudo Secularism and replace it with a Hindu Nationalist agenda for corporate sponsored development, Rahul Gandhi wants to demolish the old order in the Congress party (and he is doing a good job of demolishing the congress party itself in the eyes of people). He has not given a clear picture of what he wants to replace the old order within congress with, except his recent comment that the congress party needs to learn from Aam Aadmi Partys methods. Arwind Kejriwal on the other hand wants to demolish the corrupt political order, challenge the money power, reverse the top down model of governance and replace it with a new model that Gandhi called Swaraj.

Seasoned managers of political campaigns who are used to spending hundreds of crores of rupees on expensive media campaigns, for traveling in helicopters and creating ostentatious displays of gimmicky imageries at public meetings, Arwind Kejriwals simple and unpaid omnipresence in media is proving to be a massive headache. While the BJP might pat itself in the back over its victories in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh, where BJP was the only challenger to the discredited congress party, the Delhi election has given the Sangh Pariwar a lot to worry about in private. The BJP candidate lost to the AAP candidate in the constituency where Narendra Modi addressed his first election rally, where crores of rupees were spent in turning it into a mega show. Likewise in majority of constituencies where Narendra Modi campaigned in Delhi, he was unable to catch the imagination of the electorate. As Arwind Kejriwal unshackles himself from the daily grind of governing Delhi, the enthusiasm for participating in a new kind of disruptive innovation in democracy is bound to inspire the 12 crore first time voters who are going to be a decisive voter segment in the next Parliament election.

Indian election scenario today stands polarized between a fumbling Rahul Gandhi, an entertaining Narendra Modi, and a revolutionary Arwind Kejriwal. The regional parties are getting ready to consolidate their traditional voter base, so that they could emerge as a bargaining power in the eventuality of a hung parliament.

Two weeks before the Delhi elections, I wrote on my Facebook, Last week opinion polls gave AAP 8 seats, this week it gave it 18 seats, with two weeks to go for the election-day and after witnessing increasing enthusiasm in the street, I believe AAP is bound to increase its tally at the same pace. The same scenario will unfold as AAP begins its campaign for Lok Sabha.

Those who are joining the AAP are not seasoned politicians. They bring with them the same strengths and weaknesses that can be found in an average Indian. It will be the responsibility of the Aam Aadmi party to organize training for its cadres and its elected representatives, so that the energy unleashed by its promise of destructive innovation of Indias democracy is harnessed and managed with the same sensitivity with which nuclear energy is harnessed.

Delhi events are only a spark- the fire is bound to spread nationwide. Arwind Kejriwals so called irresponsible behavior can only be understood by those who can sense an irrepressible surge of national imagination of a new future that is free from corruption.! ! ! ! ! ! !