The Aam Aadmi Party has given birth to a new idiom in Indian politics, an idea that is so powerful and imaginative that it can well transform into the Indian Spring as the country faces the general elections in 2014. The AAP’s emergence to power in Delhi is so very momentous in the history of Indian politics that it cannot be under-estimated in the least.
Arvind Kejriwal’s leadership has demonstrated a fantastic range of possibilities, firing the imagination of the common man across the country, especially in urban hubs. Frustrated with the self-serving politicians of the day and the all-pervasive culture of corruption, the AAP has demonstrated that the power of votes can catapult politically-inexperienced citizens to becoming chief ministers and cabinet ministers.
AAP has demonstrated that it is possible to win elections by focusing on the promise of transparency and good governance, without offering inducements in cash or kind and without appealing to voters on caste and communal lines. AAP has demonstrated that Indian politics and governance can do away with the “VIP culture” of lal battis, unnecessary baggage of personal security guards, lavish government bungalows and other such trappings of power.
Innovation has been the hallmark of AAP’s strategy right from choosing a name for itself, selecting the lowly broom as its election symbol and showing a willingness for re-election rather than taking support from either the BJP or the Congress. Support from the Congress to form the government was accepted only the Congress accepted a list of conditions put forth by the AAP and after holding a referendum with voters.
The AAP at every step is re-creating Indian politics — or at least attempting to do so — and this government is bound to spring forth a bagful of surprises “in more ways than anyone can imagine”, if one may borrow the phrase from Rahul Gandhi.
These innovations in policy and governance are likely to mark a sharp departure from convention, continuing to grab national headlines and continuing to put other state governments and politicians to shame. Every move of the AAP is being watched through a magnifying glass by the people of this country, the politicians and the media.
The question that will arise is, if the AAP government can do this, why can’t other governments and other politicians? The fact is that the AAP has triggered a culture of change that has deep roots. A by-product of the 2011 Jan Lokpal and India Against Corruption movements, the APP has fired the imagination of the youth and the common man.
It has roused new hopes and has secured the overwhelming support of the young and politically “neutral” voters, not just in Delhi, but elsewhere in the country too. No less than Rahul Gandhi, the young vice-president of the Congress, acknowledged AAP’s success attributing it to the party’s success in reaching out to sections of people “left out by the conventional political parties”.
Is the AAP “wave” in Delhi reflective of the national mood? Recall the euphoric support that the Jan Lokpal movement received across cities in India, especially from the young people of this country. Established analysts from India and the West wondered whether this was the Indian version of the Arab Spring triggered by the common man in a string of Arab nations.
Recall how the youth poured out on the streets of Delhi and faced water cannons to express their shock, anger and frustration over the brutal gangrape of a young Delhi woman who died a tragic death. Young Indians were at the forefront in demanding better security for women, better laws and better policing. In short, they were tired of the status quo, tired of the same old excuses from politicians and administrators and the message that came through all of this was that the people of India and especially the youth, want change.
These roots lie in the fact that the people of India, especially the young, have become impatient for change. People have become more demanding of better governance and better infrastructure in our cities and thereby politically assertive. AAP’s promise of lower power tariffs and 700 litres of free water to each household is a part of this expectation.
Unlike in the past, today’s young generation is entrepreneurial and aspirational and understands the transformational power of ideas. Propelled by powerful ideas, entire businesses can be created successfully, supported by modern technologies and facilitated by e-governance and e-commerce. The Indian youth is at the centre of these developments which are bringing about sweeping changes and making inroads into our lives in more ways than ever before.
Demographic trends show the rising influence of the youth and the expansion of the Indian middle class which is becoming more assertive and ambitious. Every third person in an Indian city today is a youth today and by 2020, India is set to become the youngest country in the world with 29 being the average median age of an individual.
Young Indian blood is questioning everything around it- it is questioning age-old traditions, the caste system, the values that we take for granted, and the politics of caste and communalism. There is a high degree of impatience with poor governance and the Indian youth is at the centre of this changing mindset.
The Indian youth dreams of a better life for itself and for the country; there is greater confidence in the youth today and greater appetite for taking risks to realise a better future. A world with opportunities cannot co-exist with the insecurities resulting from corruption, inefficiency, poor governance, poor infrastructure, caste and communal conflicts.
And therefore this impatience with politics that fails to address these priorities and fails to focus on employment, better governance, better infrastructure and growth. The Indian youth is now dreaming of creating a future and becoming prosperous within the country and not fly out and settle in the United States as in the past.
Kejriwal’s supporters essentially subscribe to this changing mindset which is reflective of the enormous change that is taking place around us. It would not come as a surprise if what he is demonstrating in Delhi today becomes the norm of good governance, raising the expectations of the people in other states.
No comments:
Post a Comment