The Personal Dilemma - AAP vs. BJP

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!

Genesis.

                                                                Genesis

While growing up in India in the '90s, the newspapers (remember them?) used to carry a caricature strip by the great cartoonist, R.K.Laxman. It would show this elderly bespectacled gentleman, watching the daily goings-on from the sidelines. His facial expressions would vary from bemusement to helplessness to cluelessness. We have witnessed a tumultuous 4 years worldwide, since the beginning of this decade. Most dictators and terrorists are deposed or dead, the Arab Spring came and went by with more action than results.
And then there is the new phenomenon in India called the AAP - Aam Aadmi Party  -translation - Common Man's Party. Their symbol is a broom, to sweep away corruption. They have emerged as a potent third option other than the UPA and the NDA alliances. The AAP is a remarkable story because it has been able to achieve dramatic success in a relatively short time. Due credit must be given to Sri. Anna Hazare, who first raised his voice against the rampant corruption pervading in the last 5 years of the current UPA government.
Now there are 2 factions of observers - the optimists and the cynics. I have to admit, I fight my cynicism on a daily basis. It is hard to accept that someone has a purely noble intent. We are subconsciously looking out for any ulterior motives. To outside observers, the AAP seems to have started on the right note. They may seem a little out of their depth, but everyone needs to be given a chance and adequate time to prove themselves. The remarkable difference between the Arab Spring and this revolution in India is the non-violent nature of it. Democracy won in a spectacular fashion, where people voted for rank outsiders to form a government in the Capital of India. If someone said that 4 years back, people would think he must be high.

I am also a common man. I have aspirations and hopes just like everybody else - the 'Aam Aadmi'. 'Aam' also means Mango in Hindi. So I am Mango Man (get it?). Mango Man is everybody. He is faceless. He is a Superhero who has no supernatural strength. All he has is Hope. But corruption is like Kryptonite to Hope. AAP appears to be the beacon of hope for the Mango Man. They may fail, but they must prove that they tried their best. It can only be hoped that they don't follow the paths of their predecessors. It is not to say that AAP is the panacea for all evil. There are many important issues like National Security, hunger and poverty, that need experienced hands, so AAP needs to enroll the most competent personnel.

But this anti-corruption bandwagon  raises another issue about the Indian society and its sensibilities, in general. The youth today want good jobs, education, affordable housing, pretty much everything. They are frustrated with the prevalent corruption in every sphere of life. They want to leave their country a better place for their children. But this would come at a tremendous price. Corruption breeds in the absence of law enforcement. The laws are all in place, but the enforcement is flimsy at best. If corruption needs to be  weeded out, then people need to be prepared to face consequences for their actions. Almost everyone I know will  just shrug  their shoulders and grease someone's palm to get favors done; passport office, bank loans, you name it. Giving a bribe is also a malaise. Imagine people getting busted in large numbers across the country for their transgressions, there is no wherewithal to enforce the laws. There aren't enough courts and enough judges to process the cases. The Indian courts give out sentences after 20 years! The judge giving the sentence today may have been an intern at the time of the incident. Cases languish in courts for years on end. Knowing this, most politicians hire top-notch lawyers, bribe the judges and walk around with impunity. As long as there are legal loopholes, there will be no real justice. You can't catch fish with a small handkerchief. Conversely, using a large fish net with gaping holes isn't going to help much, either.

What can the Mango Man do? He doesn't have the deep pockets to hire attorneys to fight his cases. He can do only one thing - Vote. There are many who are watching AAP with keen interest. They are openly or secretly rooting for its success. But they are also wary of AAP becoming just another political party - milking the public's trust while in power. AAP needs to demonstrate that their intent is honest, for that, they need to focus on law enforcement. Also, for a society where bribes are commonplace, they will need to bring upon a social revolution demonstrating that laws are meant to be enforced and are equal for everyone. And there is no escaping if you break the law. Mango Man is anxiously waiting to see if AAP's broom will sweep away the ills of the society or sweep them under the proverbial dirty rug. I am Mango Man. So are you.