The stunning victory at the Delhi Assembly elections
of a motley group of hitherto mostly unknown people getting together to form
the Aam Aadmi Party, the common man’s party, (AAP) has shaken the very
foundations of Indian politics. With the basic manifesto of a fight against
pervasive corruption and political chicanery it emerged as the second largest
party spectacularly demolishing the ruling Indian National Congress. Having
ruled over Delhi for 15 long years the Congress took power for granted and had
become arrogant and supercilious. All that was crushed by the unexpected rout
at the hustings
Barging into the political arena with a bang the AAP
shook the established political class out of its wits. Going to the people from
door to door and mohalla to mohalla (neighbourhood to neighbourhood)
it set up a new standard of operating procedure that even the established
mainstream parties have noticed and admired. The party brought into play the
people’s choices in the democratic process. Shunning power, it even went to the
people for advice whether it should govern with support from outside of Congressmen
whom it called corrupt. With total disenchantment with the established political
set up, people opted for AAP even if with the outside support of the corrupt.
Hitherto, the people were in a democracy but were
practically out of it. They went through
the motions of electing their representatives to the legislatures for making
laws and enforce them with equity but the elected assumed the roles of the
feudal lords of yore – becoming in effect ‘rulers’ and not people’s
representatives. Over time they became a set of powerful and influential few
who appropriated for themselves perks and privileges of office at the cost of
people’s welfare. Pervasive poverty and illiteracy accompanied by the “mai-baap” (paternalistic) syndrome
helped in perpetuating the iniquitous order. No wonder, today the elected
political class has become one of the richest segments which uses power and
influence for its own advantage occasionally doling out sops to the masses.
Comfortably ensconced in their cocoon the leaders
became unaware of the ground realities. Keeping themselves away from the masses
they lost touch with the people so much so that when Rahul Gandhi, the Congress
Vice President, happened to say after the severe reverses at the hands of the
“new-kid-on-the-block” that he desired to emulate the AAP model and to “engage
with the people” it was taken as a profound statement – so profound that
sycophantic noises were made in the Party to suck up to him. The “dynastic”
party leaders, in their persistent efforts to take care of themselves, had
clean forgotten that a political party in a democracy is a mouthpiece of its
supportive people and has, therefore, to always remain “engaged” with them. In
their wheeling and dealing for power and pelf the party leaders had overlooked
the fact that they were where they were because of the people. Democracy,
plainly, had been made to stand on its head.
There is a flip side of it too. Even the people had
got used to the feudal ways of the ruling parties. Common man would never see
ministers from close quarters unless it was for a sham “mass contact” mission
the eventual result of which would be mostly a cipher. So, when Shivraj Singh
Chouhan, the third-time chief minister of the state of Madhya Pradesh, passed
by in his car with windows rolled down after his recent victory at the hustings
it became news. A photograph appeared of Chauhan peeping out of his car window
and waving at people. Today “news” is something which surprises people, being
something out of the ordinary.
It was, obviously, an extraordinary sight as even
ministers, leave alone chief ministers, of the various states in the country
are hardly ever seen with the glasses, generally heavily tinted, of their car
windows rolled down. They, especially chief ministers, travel in that Indian
symbol of power, the traditional Ambassador manufactured by Hindustan Motors
and made bullet-proof for them, accompanied by a cavalcade of several vehicles,
mostly of the SUV-type, and zip through the city streets that are blocked to
all other traffic – vehicular or pedestrian – for their quick, uninterrupted
and safe passage. People hardly ever see their faces as they keep a safe
distance from the common man.
That, after the
swearing-in ceremony, Shivraj Singh Chauhan waded into the assembled crowd in
Bhopal’s Jamboree Maidan too made the news. The newspapers duly reported the
very unusual event. It is another matter that a few decades ago on being
elected the leader of the legislative assembly the chief ministers used to be
sworn-in in the hallowed precincts of the governor’s house. Apparently, that was
not felt to be democratic enough.
The whole thing has now been taken outdoors to grounds
like the Jamboree Maidan where special arrangements are made over a period of a
week or so to provide a garishly decorated podium at considerable costs to the
public. All this is done not only for the main protagonists like the governor
and the chief minister and his ministers to be sworn-in but also for the party
bigwigs and sundry chiefs of various political parties that are considered
friendly or are potential allies in forming governments in this era of
coalitions. Several kinds of arrangements, from public address systems,
marquees to tentage, transport, refreshments and drinking water, are also made
for the foot-soldiers of the party and the people. It is apparently, a massive
public function where the main actors are confined to the podium and the people
are kept at bay, amply and securely barricaded. But, Shivraj broke that all and
hence the news item.
Sourcing of funds for this massive show of popularity
as also political strength is somewhat blurred as much
There is an element of hypocrisy in the entire
exercise. While for most of the term the chief minister or his ministers are
hardly ever visible to the people or are hardly ever available to them, the
swearing-in to hold the public office and to uphold the Constitution is
conducted in their (people’s) rather distant presence. For most of the
five-year term they behave like maharajas of yore, keeping shut in their
bungalows or offices or bullet-proof vehicles, guarded 24-hours by
Kalashnikov-wielding commandoes and yet they try, at great public cost, to
flaunt their democratic pretensions.
The advent of the AAP is likely to change that all and
people may, henceforth, get their due importance since the raw politicos have
proved that “engaging with people” has its own dividends. Under their
substantial presence in Delhi no attempt at the usual horse-trading was made by
the BJP which missed being in power by the skin of its teeth.
AAP’s victory, therefore, is a game-changer. Indian
democracy now appears to be on the mend. Not only the hitherto apolitical
common man has participated in the political process in a big way its
representatives, the AAP, seemingly, have ushered in a new political paradigm –
an era of cleaner and people-centric politics in the country.
Photos: from the Internet
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