Should populism be allowed to become a norm in governance in a young democracy and emerging economy like ours. The answer is no. India requires a strong leader who can provide good governance and decisive leadership
Indian democracy has stood on the pillar of mass politics which has displayed many hues. One systematic pattern which it has exhibited is the successful functioning of the electoral process. In the unpredictable world of politics, numerous political parties have competed in the past and are still vying with each other for electoral supremacy. From the single-party dominance for almost four decades, India has moved into an era of coalition politics where not only the Opposition but also the allies of the ruling party keep the ruling party’s dominance in check.
Two conflicting claims have periodically surfaced in discussions on mass politics in India: one argues the time of populism is over, but the other asserts that the “resurgent” populist discourse will play a greater role in the coming years. The emergence of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has a bearing on the “resurgent” populist discourse.
The AAP, which is the opportunistic spin-off from an anti-corruption movement led by the now-divided Team Anna, attempted to present itself as the pioneer of an alternative style of politics. Therefore, the moot question now is to assess the AAP in its own yardstick of “alternative politics”.
The AAP contested the Assembly elections in Delhi promising zero tolerance for corruption, and was evidently successful in emerging as the second largest party in the city-State. On day one, AAP’s demagoguery was there for everybody to see: Kejriwal and his Ministers took oath of office and secrecy in full public view at Ramlila Maidan to flare up euphoria among the aam aadmi.
However, it seems that the AAP forgot that it had come second in the electoral race and its ‘victory’ was granted and not earned — the voters of Delhi put more confidence in the BJP by giving it the highest number of seats. Moreover, the AAP got a rap from the same voters when it joined hands with the Congress to form the Government in Delhi. This bizarre move has certainly diminished the credibility of the party as it had ‘come to power’ raising anti-Congress slogans.
Having formed the Government, the AAP sought to fulfil the “populist” promises which had given it the mandate to “rule”. With its unswerving skill in summoning public sympathy, the AAP relied on a “few” thousand SMSes to assess and declare that the 1.2 crore voters of Delhi wanted an AAP Government in the national Capital.
But the populist discourse has boomeranged on the AAP. Kejriwal’s desire to move into a 9,000 sqft bungalow invited much criticism forcing him to cancel his plan. His next populist promise to meet public proved abortive in the very maiden Janta Darbar at the Delhi Secretariat as public returned with more grievances than they came with.
While the AAP is struggling to find an ideology, deal with dissenting MlAs, and sort out slugfest over party’s tickets for the forthcoming lok Sabha elections, another key member of the party stirred another controversy by calling for a referendum on Army’s presence in Kashmir and questioning the need for security in Maoist- dominated areas.
In an abrasive manner, the AAP-led Government in Delhi has sought to minimise the woes of the people by reducing electricity tariff by 50 per cent. It is up to well-informed individuals to think how this New Year bonanza would actually materialise, considering that the scheme was available only to those homes that consumed 400 units of electricity a month. Reducing the tariff will require a massive Government subsidy. It will be interesting to see how AAP’s knee-jerk populism deals with the economic crisis which the State would eventually face.
The second jackpot for the people of Delhi came with the announcement of 20,000 litres of free water every month for all those households having working water meters. This measure is likely to burden the Government exchequer by a whopping Rs 160 crore. This ‘gift to the people’ was also conditional like all other policies of the AAP Government. Households where the consumption of water exceeds the limit will have to pay the entire amount with a 10 per cent increase in the bill. The new arrangement is sure to increase the cases of manipulation of water meters on a gigantic scale. The middle-class euphoria over not having to pay water bills is actually clouding the truth that the AAP Government has implemented a retrograde policy measure.
In stark contrast to AAP’s utopian populism stands BJP’s realism. The BJP, the principle Opposition party, is the only party in India which talks about pragmatic and constructive development. Under the auspices of the then Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the NDA Government started a massive programme of building a network of highways. The Golden Quadrilateral was to emerge as a highway network that would connect all the major industrial, agricultural and cultural centres of India. This was indeed the largest highway project in India. Another significant step taken by the NDA Government was to ensure jobs for more than 60 million youth in six years. The BJP with its constructive realism and development mandate greatly appealed to the burgeoning middle class in urban centres. Though the party had a brief stint at the Centre, its politics of development has been extremely popular in States such as Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Goa.
Resting on the foundations of ‘less Government and more governance’, Narendra Modi has taken the State of Gujarat to the next level. Gujarat has emerged as an attractive destination for both industrialists and investors. The level of infrastructural development in the State has assumed miraculous proportions. Another key indicator is that in comparison to other States, Gujarat has the highest rate of employment among urban women. Schemes such as Sujalam Sufalam for better water distribution, Jyotigram Yojana for electricity supply to villages, and Krishi Mahotsav for agricultural reforms have been both progressive and transformative in nature. Gujarat is slowly moving in the direction of becoming a State that can rival any developed economy in the world.
Workable and effective socio-economic policies have been the mainstay of the BJP-led Governments in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The Government led by Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Madhya Pradesh has delivered on all its promises. The system of foodgrain distribution has been streamlined to such an extent that the Government provides rice for Re 1 to the poor in the State of Chhattisgarh. This is an unprecedented measure that should be replicated in all States across the country. The neighbouring State of Chhattisgarh too has shown remarkable development, steered by the BJP Government over the past couple of years. The State where economic development is hindered by the problem of Maoist insurgency has witnessed slow and steady rise in infrastructure development among other successes. Goa has become one of the most prosperous States in the country as an outcome of the policies espoused by its Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, a man known to lead a far more simple life than Arvind Kejriwal.
looking at the larger picture, it becomes apparent that realism ultimately trumps short-term populism in Indian politics. Populism is akin to jingoism — both die a natural death after having created hysteria for some time. It is more than evident that the AAP is walking on a double-edged sword. While they are clearly following a trial and error method that can be precarious for the State and the country, sentiments are swinging between the two extremes of confusion and scepticism for the nascent Government and its ways. At this time, it is important to step back and ask ourselves if populism should be allowed to become a norm in governance in a young democracy and emerging economy like ours.
It is without doubt that our country does not require false promises and misleading tactics of Kejriwal. India requires a strong leader who can provide good governance and decisive leadership. The BJP has delivered in the States and the people of India have pledged their trust in Narendra Modi for the realisation of their hopes and aspirations. The mindless populism of the AAP might have won it some supporters, but it will not ensure the party a victory in the upcoming general elections. In a war between pragmatism and utopia, the former has always been victorious.
(The writer is lok Sabha member from Hamirpur and National president of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha)