The party which successfully cashed in on the Jan lokpal movement is facing threat of perception as infighting, highhandedness, and charges of orchestrating suicide hound it
Some two and a half years ago when an anti-graft activist took the plunge into active politics, many not only mocked his “Dutch courage” but also wrote his political obituary prematurely. Some senior Congress leaders even taunted Arvind Kejriwal (AK), former Indian Revenue Service officer, to prove his mettle in an electoral ring.
Rather than running with his tail between his legs, AK, took his critics by their horns in the 2013 Delhi Assembly elections. After floating a political party, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), on November 26, 2012, he started campaign to drum up support.
Overnight his supporters swelled with many professionals, who deride politics in private, joining the AAP. His out-of-the box campaign in the 2013 Delhi Assembly elections triggered a tectonic shift in the politics of Delhi, forcing his critics to take AK seriously. Some in the media, and traditional political parties like Congress and BJP were left stupefied after the AAP bagged 28 seats in its debut. AK emerged as a hero of the educated Indian middle class, youth and the poor. His party toppled the Congress juggernaut from Delhi; ironically even the BJP had found it difficult to do so in the last fifteen years.
AK formed a Government in Delhi with outside support from the Congress. It is another story that in the 49 days of his rule, he took steps that actually alienated the middle class. He was called anarchist, and he admitted being one.
Disenchanted, his support base started shrinking. The other biggest mistake that AK committed was to contest in the Parliamentary elections. Swayed by the unimaginable score he got in Delhi, AK thought he could replicate the electoral feat in the lok Sabha elections, or at least emerging as a kingmaker in the Government formation at the Centre. But much to his chagrin, the AAP stumbled in the race with bagging just four seats. AK, the greenhorn, lost hugely against Modi, the veteran, in Varanasi.
This drubbing again created a media hype that AK's political career was over.
BJP's winning streak in almost all State Assembly elections under the leadership of Modi gave a false impression that even some political analysts and media personalities were sceptical about the AAP success in Delhi Assembly elections, 2015.
However, the results sprang up a surprise for all as the AAP bagged a whopping 67 seats in the 70-member Delhi Assembly. The BJP under the “able” leadership of Modi could scrape through by winning just three seats and the mighty Congress that had ruled Delhi for more than 15 years was routed.
The historic win was celebrated by AAP supporters across Delhi. For many, the AAP turned out to be the party of hope. Voters who supported the party during election looked at it to solve all their problems in Delhi. But their hope was short-lived with infighting surfacing in the party with Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan raising the banner of revolt.
It gave an impression that the AAP is not different from any other traditional political parties that were deserted by many in the hope of an “alternative politics”.
As AAP leaders started slanging match and the party leadership ruthlessly crushed all voices of dissent against AK, it has slowly dawned on its voters, who had switched loyalty to the new political outfit, that they have been cheated again since the AAP showed its willingness to absorb the malaise of the political system.
As the dust of the infighting was about to die down after the expulsion of Bhusan-Yadav duo, the issue of Gajendra Singh's suicide, which police claim was stage-managed, at AK's rally in Delhi that was called to protest against the land Bill rubbed salt into the wound of the AAP. Ironically, even after Gajendra Singh's suicide, AK continued his speech. Had other leaders done so, nobody would have cared, but with AK claiming him to be the messiah of honesty, the episode has tainted AAP with an indelible insult.
Two days later, AK realised his “political” mistakes and tendered an apology but the antidote failed to counter the assault the party had suffered by then. The unbiased AAP supporters have come to terms with the bitter reality that the AAP has begun to change. As a result new revelations about “tainted” candidates getting party tickets are not as much surprising.
Now the only thing that can save the AAP from further damage is its performance on the ground level.
Though over two months in governance are not a long period for a visible change, many hopes have been dashed as the AAP seems to be struggling in fulfilling its popular poll promises. There is no movement on construction of new toilets, schools, colleges and hospitals. The much hyped Jan lokpal, which gave it a successful pedestal, has been sent in cold-storage. Moreover, the AAP Government is not making public its blueprint about how it would go about to seek full statehood for Delhi.
In South East Delhi, where the AAP, got overwhelming support, no development work has been taken up yet. AK is yet to fulfil his promise of closing the highly controversial Timarpur-Okhla Waste plant located near residential area. When some local activists visited him with request to close the plant recently, AK had promised them all help, but he is yet to act. On other important issues like potable water, the Delhi Government is yet to take any initiative.
Deeply upset with the way things are moving at snail’s pace, many have started to fear that the AAP Government too might turn out to be just like its predecessors or worse than those. But all is not lost for the AAP. The lowering of tariff on power bills is one of a few things that has given AAP supporters some hope. But they want more actions from AK.
Besides, the party needs to give a serious thought to strengthening its organisational set-up that currently is in disarray. The ball is in the AAP court. With overwhelming majority in Delhi, AK can easily turn the tide in his Government’s favour and gain the lost trust of his voters.
AK should understand that he is not the first politician in India to have got such a huge mandate. Earlier many regional chieftains came to power but intoxicated by success and getting surrounded by sycophants they lost base with the grassroots and became part of history. The big challenge for AK is to deliver on all fronts and fulfil his electoral promises.
(The writer is Deputy News Editor, The Pioneer)