02-15-2014
As expected, and hoped in many quarters, the AAP government submitted their resignation to the Lt. Gov. in Delhi today. It was assumed that their recommendation of conducting elections again would be accepted by the Governor Jung, but Mr. Jung threw a curve ball by recommending President's rule. The survey polls seem to suggest that the people of Delhi want to have elections again and this time they would like to give AAP a majority vote. Of course, these exit polls are always to be taken with a teaspoon of salt, otherwise reality will pinch. At the center of the storm is the Jan Lokpal Bill, which is meant to be an anti-corruption bill. I admit I am not familiar with the nitty-gritty of the Bill. It appears to be a noble intent, but the surprise is that the other parties are not supporting it. Imagine that, the incumbents and the opposition who are a part of the system, don't want any new bills that is anti-corruption. What was AAP thinking, right?! The other parties' politicians have jumped on the anti-corruption bandwagon, but when it comes to actually take measures, they dither.
Personally, I like AAP's ideologies and spunk. Their modus operandi is unconventional, and often based on emotions and impulse. I feel in a few years, they will learn the ropes of politics, but I hope they don't become a part of the system. I watched Mr. Kejriwal for the first time in an interview with NDTV. He came across to me as a person with good intentions and passion. The sad fact is that if AAP fizzles out, there is no hope for the people of India. I am in a personal dilemma, choosing between AAP and BJP. While living in India, I was not a fan of politics. There was some hope in the early '90s, but then it was the same old story after that. The choices were between the devil and the deep sea. You can decide which party was which one. But with the entry of Mr. Narendra Modi on the national scene, it has become interesting. I can almost guarantee that if Mr. Advani or some other leader was the PM candidate, BJP would be similar to the Congress- pushed to the sidelines. Mr. Modi is the knight in the shining armor for the BJP cadre and many Indians. I honestly don't believe that people are inspired by Mr. Modi because of his Hindutva. I think they are expecting, in fact, almost hoping that he will resurrect the Indian economy. But if the BJP wants to win, they need to stop criticizing the AAP. Training their guns on the incumbents' failure is an obvious stratagem, but it doesn't achieve much. Most Indians are quite familiar with the incumbent's failures, BJP needs to focus on their vision of India for the next 5 years. I don't see any political manifesto outlining their future plans. They need to be cautious in promising the moon, look at President Obama. Make reasonable promises, give people hope. But don't take them for fools. The AAP on the other hand, are quickly becoming the voice of the common man. At least they have an agenda, to root out corruption. BJP needs to outline steps about how they will revive the economy. Bringing back black money from abroad is one thing, but it won't help restart the economic engine. Manufacturing and development are the key words. Inflation is the 800 pound gorilla in the room. How are they going to tackle this? Those are pertinent questions and they need to be addressed. If BJP keeps criticizing AAP, then AAP will become the underdog and they get the sympathy. Sympathy votes can quickly change the direction of an election.
Mr. Modi, all the political past aside, seems to be a no-nonsense leader. I can bet that if he were to start his own party now, he'd make a very large impact on his own. BJP is lucky to be riding his coattails. As I had mentioned in my earlier post, Mr. Modi will need to eradicate the prevalent cronyism, nepotism and corruption from his own party. An ideal situation would have been if Mr. Modi was the leader of AAP. That would have been quite something.
But hypothesis aside, AAP needs to move on ahead of the anti-corruption bill. If you want to remove corruption, the best way is to stay in the game and keep it out. If they think that their part is over after passing that bill, they are in denial. How long before the next government comes and "amends" it to their liking? Removing corruption is just the first step, but it won't have a direct impact on the common man's life. Good governance is crucial. During Mr. Kejrival's interview with NDTV, the person who spoke last raised an important issue - the inequality of education. He said that if only the kids from wealthy families are able to go to the better schools, then the other kids stand no chance to compete. The man admitted that the only way he can pay for his child's good education is by accepting bribe, due to his current income not being enough. He could be talking on behalf of a lot of people. Mr. Kejriwal, to his credit, answered that the only way to move ahead is to improve the public education system, so that people would start attending public schools instead of the more expensive private schools. AAP needs to realize that governance is key. Learn to control your impulse, study the opposition's games. Make media your friends, constant exposure to media can brainwash even the strongest of minds, common people can only make decisions based on the information fed to them. Don't give media a chance to bash you. They will bash you nevertheless, but the public always knows who is for them and who is for themselves.
If Mr. Modi comes to power, he cannot remain a stooge like Dr. Manmohan Singh. If corruption exists in his cabinet, he must be proactive. Not wait till it gets out in the open and then implement a token gesture of suspension or dismissal. The current Indian Prime Minister has done greater damage to his post and his legacy when compared to all the goodwill he generated in early '90s. He seems almost as helpless as the President of India. If Mr. Modi lets things happen like Dr. Singh, that would be a huge disappointment for the Indians and the Indian diaspora. The public doesn't expect Dr. Singh to be a leader, let alone a strong leader. But Mr. Modi has cultivated that image of being a strong leader, he needs to live up to it. I feel more comfortable with Mr. Modi as the Prime Minister than Mr. Kejriwal, when it comes to important issues of Defense and the economy. But Mr. Modi needs Mr. Kejriwal to stay on his toes, not rest on his heels. Jai Hind!
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