The political scene in the country looks a little more rosy than usual. Fresh faces and ideas are being woven into the Indian political fabric. A new breed of politicians are coming through.
When Anna Hazare started his movement, he captured the imagination of an entire nation reeling under the burden of living with a corrupt, indifferent government. Like all attempts to 'change the system', it fizzled out for the simple reason that real change cannot happen unless you enter the system. There came the man, Arvind Kejriwal. An IIT graduate, a man of impeccable character. Or so they say. Having retired as the Joint Commissioner of the Income Tax Department, he walked into the political spoltlight when he transitioned from the role of an activist to that of a politician by founding the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
The AAP has been hugely successful in consolidating the urban vote in Delhi and looks likely to emerge the kingmaker in the Delhi elections. I would be greatly disappointed if they side with either Congress of BJP however. But that discussion is for another day! I am sitting in from of my machine with two monitors. One monitor only for election results. This phenomenon of Indian elections has captured my attention from almost a decade now. Politics, money, liquor, women, caste. You know what I mean. This love and fantasy brought me to come accross Yogendra Yadav, one of the country's foremost political annalists. I used to listen to him for long periods when he spoke on CNN-IBN etc. and was fascinated by the factors which affect an election in India. Believe me, they are mind boggling. This is the exact reason why I will accuse an Indian politician to be anything but smart. Anyway, looking at Yogendra Yadav moving to AAP made me to believe that these guys are serious. They mean business.
I realize that the top layer of AAP will be incorruptible. If Arvind Kejriwal also turns corrupt, I will lose my faith in humanity. However, every second guy I talk to says AAP is the way to go. But I want to ask this question one of my favorite commentators, Swapan Dasgupta, asked "Are you ready for AAP?". It got me thinking. Everyone who says 'yes' think about this:
We have all been beneficiaries of this system and I don't think we are ready to let it go so soon. We have slept with the beast for so long and maybe we feel lonely without it next to us on bed.
Let us for a minute presume that AAP comes to power. They cannot change the system overnight, so let's say they take 5yrs. Are you ready to take the high road? It will be hard. Very hard. Lonely. You will have to get back to the queues. No more fast track processing of files. No more taking the shortcut. No more parking on the footpath. This is like arrange marriage going bad. The girl looks amazing the day you meet her and you are smitten by her. You get married and move in together. Then you realize that she is a stickler for rules. Get up at 6am. Fold your shirts. Wash your own clothes. Clean the toilet. Pick up the dishes. She is right, but you cannot take it. Man, you are screwed!
I wish AAP can come to power for fulfilling all the aspirations of a country waiting for change. But I strongly feel that they are walking into a trap right now. Everybody is welcoming them, but when AAP start putting their policies into place we will feel the heat. Then slowly, but surely, the halo around AAP will go away and all reasons will be found to go away from them.
I am not being pessimistic. I may be a fantasist, but I am also realistic. I know the veil of hypocrisy behind which we all hide while we damage our country. Think about what you wish for, these are some good people giving their lives for your sake. This country is great, it deserves someone who can restore the once glorious position it was in.
When Anna Hazare started his movement, he captured the imagination of an entire nation reeling under the burden of living with a corrupt, indifferent government. Like all attempts to 'change the system', it fizzled out for the simple reason that real change cannot happen unless you enter the system. There came the man, Arvind Kejriwal. An IIT graduate, a man of impeccable character. Or so they say. Having retired as the Joint Commissioner of the Income Tax Department, he walked into the political spoltlight when he transitioned from the role of an activist to that of a politician by founding the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
The AAP has been hugely successful in consolidating the urban vote in Delhi and looks likely to emerge the kingmaker in the Delhi elections. I would be greatly disappointed if they side with either Congress of BJP however. But that discussion is for another day! I am sitting in from of my machine with two monitors. One monitor only for election results. This phenomenon of Indian elections has captured my attention from almost a decade now. Politics, money, liquor, women, caste. You know what I mean. This love and fantasy brought me to come accross Yogendra Yadav, one of the country's foremost political annalists. I used to listen to him for long periods when he spoke on CNN-IBN etc. and was fascinated by the factors which affect an election in India. Believe me, they are mind boggling. This is the exact reason why I will accuse an Indian politician to be anything but smart. Anyway, looking at Yogendra Yadav moving to AAP made me to believe that these guys are serious. They mean business.
I realize that the top layer of AAP will be incorruptible. If Arvind Kejriwal also turns corrupt, I will lose my faith in humanity. However, every second guy I talk to says AAP is the way to go. But I want to ask this question one of my favorite commentators, Swapan Dasgupta, asked "Are you ready for AAP?". It got me thinking. Everyone who says 'yes' think about this:
- Have you never paid bribe to the traffic police? You could have paid 300 and got the bill. Instead you paid 50.
- Even simpler, have you ever jumped the queue at the bill counter?
- Paid a little to get your PAN card faster?
- Parked your car on the footpath meant for pedestrians?
We have all been beneficiaries of this system and I don't think we are ready to let it go so soon. We have slept with the beast for so long and maybe we feel lonely without it next to us on bed.
Let us for a minute presume that AAP comes to power. They cannot change the system overnight, so let's say they take 5yrs. Are you ready to take the high road? It will be hard. Very hard. Lonely. You will have to get back to the queues. No more fast track processing of files. No more taking the shortcut. No more parking on the footpath. This is like arrange marriage going bad. The girl looks amazing the day you meet her and you are smitten by her. You get married and move in together. Then you realize that she is a stickler for rules. Get up at 6am. Fold your shirts. Wash your own clothes. Clean the toilet. Pick up the dishes. She is right, but you cannot take it. Man, you are screwed!
I wish AAP can come to power for fulfilling all the aspirations of a country waiting for change. But I strongly feel that they are walking into a trap right now. Everybody is welcoming them, but when AAP start putting their policies into place we will feel the heat. Then slowly, but surely, the halo around AAP will go away and all reasons will be found to go away from them.
I am not being pessimistic. I may be a fantasist, but I am also realistic. I know the veil of hypocrisy behind which we all hide while we damage our country. Think about what you wish for, these are some good people giving their lives for your sake. This country is great, it deserves someone who can restore the once glorious position it was in.
