Monday, 30 December 2013 | KG Suresh | in Oped
If one loves democracy, one just cannot hate politicians in toto. That's exactly what Arvind Kejriwal and his friends are doing, rubbishing every other political party and leader as corrupt and insincere
Finally, the Aam Aadmi Party has formed a Government in Delhi. From refusing security to taking the metro to the oath-taking ceremony at Ramlila Maidan, the new Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his team are ushering into the Indian political scene an unprecedented phenomenon. Call it the theatre of the absurd for uninitiated first-time voters and people disillusioned with the politics of conventional parties, this is fresh air. Not that such expectations have not been generated in the past. Whether it be the JP Narayan movement or the emergence of the BJP, people had great hopes that things would change for the better and they would witness a new era in governance. Sadly, while the rulers changed, the system remained the same. The rebels were tamed, co-opted or crushed by the system. Instead of changing the system, the self-proclaimed harbingers of change themselves got changed, dashing the hopes of the millions.
Riding on an anti corruption movement, then comes Mr Kejriwal with his AAP and a brand of politics, hitherto untested in the country. Projecting oneself as the sole messiah is the prerogative of any political party but to condemn all others as sinners reminds one of exclusivist religious philosophies which close the doors of heaven on anyone who does not adhere to their version of God. It’s the politics of spit and run, where everything done by the party is justified and every issue that goes against its interest is attributed to conspiracies.
Thus, the much hyped transparency is shown through internal surveys, and stings and exposes are rebutted through internal inquiries. Outsiders, obviously, cannot be trusted.
Desperate to form a Government, Mr Kejriwal takes the support of the very Congress, whom the people of Delhi had voted out lock, stock and barrel, through a referendum carried out through ‘mohalla sabhas’, SMS, phone calls and e-mails. And a patronising media does not raise any questions at all. The ultimate referendum in a democracy is through the ballot box and no technological tool can be an alternative for that. If that had been the case, the technologically advanced West would not be vouching for paper ballots even when Indians are using Electronic Voting Machines.
Symbolisms are the means to appeal to, or rather mislead, a gullible populace, who have been mute spectators of the VIP culture that has come to be associated with politics. Thus, a Raj Bhawan swearing-in which would have cost in thousands of rupees would now be held at the Ramlila Maidan costing lakhs of rupees to the exchequer. Causing immense inconvenience to the commuters and creating chaos all over, he travelled to the venue in a Metro comprising mostly of his supporters with little room for the common man. The new Chief Minister has also refused any personal security and in the absence of his consent, a duty-bound Delhi Police goes in for a multi-layered non-intrusive security mechanism for the constitutional office, which would cost the Government three times over.
In a nation haunted by ISI-backed terrorists, insurgents and Maoists, one would dread to imagine a situation when a high profile Chief Minister of the national capital is taken hostage or targeted by trigger happy extremists just because someone wants to take tokenism to the extremes.
Will Mr Kejriwal and his Ministers take a metro ride everyday to their offices and to meet the people? Now, imagine the problems the neighbours would face in all the localities that these Ministers are staying as hundreds of people would turn up every day at their residences for redressal of their grievances. In the event of an emergency, say like the 26/11 in Mumbai, how will the Ministers, spread over the length and breadth of the capital, reach a central place to meet and take decisions? How will the Chief Minister pass through the congested Nizamuddin and ITO bridges to reach an emergency spot without a pilot or escort? Will now all these Government files be taken to the residences of these Ministers and bureaucrats and other officers make a beeline to and fro these localities every day so that the Ministers can take on the spot decisions during their morning janata durbars with the masses? At what cost all this populism.
India is not Switzerland. The people of Delhi have absolutely no problems if security is provided to their leaders so long as the latter delivers on the ground. We all know how insecure the times are. Moreover, the Delhi media which is mesmerised by Mr Kejriwal’s antics should look towards the neglected North-East, where Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar has been leading a far austere life.
Though over the years, security and ministerial bungalows have become status symbols, they were meant for certain conveniences the elected representative would require in the discharge of their constitutional responsibilities. Now, a poor person living in north-east Delhi would have to travel all the way to Mangolpuri in north-west Delhi to meet the new Minister Rakhi Birla.
But then access to power has never been Mr Kejriwal’s focus. Cheap populism is. The shrewd politician that he is, Mr Kejriwal knows that offence is the best form of defence. Thus, he seeks to pre-empt any attempt to poach his MLAs by crying wolf in advance about certain political parties approaching them.
If one loves democracy, one just cannot hate politicians in toto. That’s exactly what Mr Kejriwal and his friends are doing, rubbishing every other political party and leader as corrupt and insincere. To claim that all other Chief Ministers appoint officers of their choice to make money while he is looking for honest officers is reflective of a fascist tendency and Goebbelsian propaganda. Such hate mongering would do incalculable harm to democracy. That Mr Kejriwal chose not to invite any Chief Minister including those of the neighbouring States, with whom the city shares umbilical ties, is reflective of sheer arrogance and megalomania in which everyone else except oneself stand condemned.
The impracticality of most of the promises made by Mr Kejriwal has been dwelt at length by economists and other political observers. Instead of rectifying the mistakes of the past, including crass populism, which enables unscrupulous colonisers to wreak havoc with city planning, sops and freebies and derail the economy, Mr Kejriwal is out to perpetuate the same further to an anarchic level. Low cost housing with basic facilities and drainage would have been a far better option. One really wonders why on earth should every family including those who can afford to pay for it be provided with 700 litres of water when it takes almost five rupees to produce a kilolitre of water.
Mr Kejriwal’s game plan is loud and clear: Assume power for some time, indulge in cheap populism which will endear him to the masses (he knows everyone loves a free lunch), blame the Congress, a corrupt bureaucracy and other vested interests for not allowing him to implement his promises and, thereafter, go to the people for a massive mandate.
It’s time India raises questions and calls the bluff. Is he a fascist who is masquerading as a democrat? Is it conspiracy to lead India to anarchy? Is it a ploy to stall the Modi juggernaut? Is this conspiracy theorist himself part of a larger conspiracy? Or is he just another maverick like Raj Narain who too created history by defeating Indira Gandhi? While one need not be a pessimist, some scepticism is not an undesirable quality is these turbulent times.
(The author is Senior Fellow and Editor with the Vivekananda International Foundation)
Source: http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnists/oped/time-for-some-skepticism.html
If one loves democracy, one just cannot hate politicians in toto. That's exactly what Arvind Kejriwal and his friends are doing, rubbishing every other political party and leader as corrupt and insincere
Finally, the Aam Aadmi Party has formed a Government in Delhi. From refusing security to taking the metro to the oath-taking ceremony at Ramlila Maidan, the new Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his team are ushering into the Indian political scene an unprecedented phenomenon. Call it the theatre of the absurd for uninitiated first-time voters and people disillusioned with the politics of conventional parties, this is fresh air. Not that such expectations have not been generated in the past. Whether it be the JP Narayan movement or the emergence of the BJP, people had great hopes that things would change for the better and they would witness a new era in governance. Sadly, while the rulers changed, the system remained the same. The rebels were tamed, co-opted or crushed by the system. Instead of changing the system, the self-proclaimed harbingers of change themselves got changed, dashing the hopes of the millions.
Riding on an anti corruption movement, then comes Mr Kejriwal with his AAP and a brand of politics, hitherto untested in the country. Projecting oneself as the sole messiah is the prerogative of any political party but to condemn all others as sinners reminds one of exclusivist religious philosophies which close the doors of heaven on anyone who does not adhere to their version of God. It’s the politics of spit and run, where everything done by the party is justified and every issue that goes against its interest is attributed to conspiracies.
Thus, the much hyped transparency is shown through internal surveys, and stings and exposes are rebutted through internal inquiries. Outsiders, obviously, cannot be trusted.
Desperate to form a Government, Mr Kejriwal takes the support of the very Congress, whom the people of Delhi had voted out lock, stock and barrel, through a referendum carried out through ‘mohalla sabhas’, SMS, phone calls and e-mails. And a patronising media does not raise any questions at all. The ultimate referendum in a democracy is through the ballot box and no technological tool can be an alternative for that. If that had been the case, the technologically advanced West would not be vouching for paper ballots even when Indians are using Electronic Voting Machines.
Symbolisms are the means to appeal to, or rather mislead, a gullible populace, who have been mute spectators of the VIP culture that has come to be associated with politics. Thus, a Raj Bhawan swearing-in which would have cost in thousands of rupees would now be held at the Ramlila Maidan costing lakhs of rupees to the exchequer. Causing immense inconvenience to the commuters and creating chaos all over, he travelled to the venue in a Metro comprising mostly of his supporters with little room for the common man. The new Chief Minister has also refused any personal security and in the absence of his consent, a duty-bound Delhi Police goes in for a multi-layered non-intrusive security mechanism for the constitutional office, which would cost the Government three times over.
In a nation haunted by ISI-backed terrorists, insurgents and Maoists, one would dread to imagine a situation when a high profile Chief Minister of the national capital is taken hostage or targeted by trigger happy extremists just because someone wants to take tokenism to the extremes.
Will Mr Kejriwal and his Ministers take a metro ride everyday to their offices and to meet the people? Now, imagine the problems the neighbours would face in all the localities that these Ministers are staying as hundreds of people would turn up every day at their residences for redressal of their grievances. In the event of an emergency, say like the 26/11 in Mumbai, how will the Ministers, spread over the length and breadth of the capital, reach a central place to meet and take decisions? How will the Chief Minister pass through the congested Nizamuddin and ITO bridges to reach an emergency spot without a pilot or escort? Will now all these Government files be taken to the residences of these Ministers and bureaucrats and other officers make a beeline to and fro these localities every day so that the Ministers can take on the spot decisions during their morning janata durbars with the masses? At what cost all this populism.
India is not Switzerland. The people of Delhi have absolutely no problems if security is provided to their leaders so long as the latter delivers on the ground. We all know how insecure the times are. Moreover, the Delhi media which is mesmerised by Mr Kejriwal’s antics should look towards the neglected North-East, where Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar has been leading a far austere life.
Though over the years, security and ministerial bungalows have become status symbols, they were meant for certain conveniences the elected representative would require in the discharge of their constitutional responsibilities. Now, a poor person living in north-east Delhi would have to travel all the way to Mangolpuri in north-west Delhi to meet the new Minister Rakhi Birla.
But then access to power has never been Mr Kejriwal’s focus. Cheap populism is. The shrewd politician that he is, Mr Kejriwal knows that offence is the best form of defence. Thus, he seeks to pre-empt any attempt to poach his MLAs by crying wolf in advance about certain political parties approaching them.
If one loves democracy, one just cannot hate politicians in toto. That’s exactly what Mr Kejriwal and his friends are doing, rubbishing every other political party and leader as corrupt and insincere. To claim that all other Chief Ministers appoint officers of their choice to make money while he is looking for honest officers is reflective of a fascist tendency and Goebbelsian propaganda. Such hate mongering would do incalculable harm to democracy. That Mr Kejriwal chose not to invite any Chief Minister including those of the neighbouring States, with whom the city shares umbilical ties, is reflective of sheer arrogance and megalomania in which everyone else except oneself stand condemned.
The impracticality of most of the promises made by Mr Kejriwal has been dwelt at length by economists and other political observers. Instead of rectifying the mistakes of the past, including crass populism, which enables unscrupulous colonisers to wreak havoc with city planning, sops and freebies and derail the economy, Mr Kejriwal is out to perpetuate the same further to an anarchic level. Low cost housing with basic facilities and drainage would have been a far better option. One really wonders why on earth should every family including those who can afford to pay for it be provided with 700 litres of water when it takes almost five rupees to produce a kilolitre of water.
Mr Kejriwal’s game plan is loud and clear: Assume power for some time, indulge in cheap populism which will endear him to the masses (he knows everyone loves a free lunch), blame the Congress, a corrupt bureaucracy and other vested interests for not allowing him to implement his promises and, thereafter, go to the people for a massive mandate.
It’s time India raises questions and calls the bluff. Is he a fascist who is masquerading as a democrat? Is it conspiracy to lead India to anarchy? Is it a ploy to stall the Modi juggernaut? Is this conspiracy theorist himself part of a larger conspiracy? Or is he just another maverick like Raj Narain who too created history by defeating Indira Gandhi? While one need not be a pessimist, some scepticism is not an undesirable quality is these turbulent times.
(The author is Senior Fellow and Editor with the Vivekananda International Foundation)
Source: http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnists/oped/time-for-some-skepticism.html
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