AAP can’t succeed with multi-ideology in the 21st century - ET
The emergence of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is a phenomenon that has not been to the liking of either the Congress or the BJP. For the BJP, it has thrown a spanner in its works. A failing UPA and the need for a strong Modi-lead government is now not the only political narrative.
There is also the AAP's simple message: we are different from both, the Congress and BJP. For the Congress, even if in the current elections it helps to have the anti-Congress vote shared between the BJP and AAP, the AAP is a long term existential threat. If the AAP emerges as an all-India formation and not one limited to only urban areas, it's a challenge to the Congress as well.
For the BJP, a fledgling AAP's denial of a BJP victory in Delhi was indeed a deep blow for its claim of a Modi wave. Delhi has been a stronghold of the BJP and the RSS. Delhi showed that given a choice, the Indian people do not want either the Congress or the BJP. What does this portend for other states? Has the Modi wave peaked too early?
Claim to Fame: BJP Baiter
The AAP has not only captured the anger of the people with the current political establishment, it has also staked a claim to the secular space that the Congress believed was their monopoly. With Kejriwal's stormy visit to Gujarat and its militant protests in front of BJP offices, it has declared that it can take on the BJP.
The argument that Congress is the only force capable of stopping BJP looks increasingly weak. It is a rudderless ship, with Manmohan Singh appearing ineffectual and its new leader Rahul Gandhi clueless. For the Congress, the party seems to be over. Its dynastic rule makes it difficult to throw up a new leader from outside the family; if the dynasty fails to deliver a leader who can deliver victory in the elections, Congress has very little left in its kitty.
What's Plan B?
Then the knives come out, with all leaders gunning for each other. The lower the mass base a leader has, the more the manoeuvring and skulduggery within. Lacking any culture of a democratic transition, the Congress appears incapable of creating an alternative leadership minus the dynasty.
In a sense, the AAP is very much a formation like the Congress of yore. Not the wheeling-dealing Congress we know today but the Congress that had emerged out of the national movement. AAP, like the then-Congress, has no clear ideology as a party. It says that it will develop its positions with the help of the people, as it does not have any.
Its denial of any "book" (read ideology) allows both sets of views, from "market will decide" to the "state having an obligation to the people", to coexist within the party. This is very much like the old Congress; its amorphous ideology allowed opposing ideological forces to coexist within the fold. Similarly for secularism. The nearest that AAP comes to in its secular ideology is again the Congress. Kejriwal — dipping in the Ganga at Varanasi and pausing midspeech for namaaz— again is familiar Congress terrain.
A negative agenda — we are not like other parties, we are against corruption — can temporarily unify dissent within the country. Large projects have helped big corporations, thrown people out of their land and rendered many destitute. Opposing corruption in such projects can get activists to join AAP. But it still begs the question: what is its development model?
Take a Stand
Without a clear ideological position, there is only so far AAP can go. But given the slow demise of the Congress, AAP still has considerable space to grow. After all, the Congress has been able to continue as a multi-ideology alliance for a long period. So why not AAP?
The problem is that India is now entering development phase where keeping all options open on development, with free markets as well as state intervention, is no longer possible. The economic crisis is catching up fast and all political parties will need to address how to get out of it.
The AAP is still in its honeymoon phase with the electorate. A few days in governance in Delhi, constituting largely declarations of intent and sitting on dharnas, do not constitute a coherent vision. At some time or the other, it will have to stand up for its own vision of India. That will be its litmus test. more
There is also the AAP's simple message: we are different from both, the Congress and BJP. For the Congress, even if in the current elections it helps to have the anti-Congress vote shared between the BJP and AAP, the AAP is a long term existential threat. If the AAP emerges as an all-India formation and not one limited to only urban areas, it's a challenge to the Congress as well.
For the BJP, a fledgling AAP's denial of a BJP victory in Delhi was indeed a deep blow for its claim of a Modi wave. Delhi has been a stronghold of the BJP and the RSS. Delhi showed that given a choice, the Indian people do not want either the Congress or the BJP. What does this portend for other states? Has the Modi wave peaked too early?
Claim to Fame: BJP Baiter
The AAP has not only captured the anger of the people with the current political establishment, it has also staked a claim to the secular space that the Congress believed was their monopoly. With Kejriwal's stormy visit to Gujarat and its militant protests in front of BJP offices, it has declared that it can take on the BJP.
The argument that Congress is the only force capable of stopping BJP looks increasingly weak. It is a rudderless ship, with Manmohan Singh appearing ineffectual and its new leader Rahul Gandhi clueless. For the Congress, the party seems to be over. Its dynastic rule makes it difficult to throw up a new leader from outside the family; if the dynasty fails to deliver a leader who can deliver victory in the elections, Congress has very little left in its kitty.
What's Plan B?
Then the knives come out, with all leaders gunning for each other. The lower the mass base a leader has, the more the manoeuvring and skulduggery within. Lacking any culture of a democratic transition, the Congress appears incapable of creating an alternative leadership minus the dynasty.
In a sense, the AAP is very much a formation like the Congress of yore. Not the wheeling-dealing Congress we know today but the Congress that had emerged out of the national movement. AAP, like the then-Congress, has no clear ideology as a party. It says that it will develop its positions with the help of the people, as it does not have any.
Its denial of any "book" (read ideology) allows both sets of views, from "market will decide" to the "state having an obligation to the people", to coexist within the party. This is very much like the old Congress; its amorphous ideology allowed opposing ideological forces to coexist within the fold. Similarly for secularism. The nearest that AAP comes to in its secular ideology is again the Congress. Kejriwal — dipping in the Ganga at Varanasi and pausing midspeech for namaaz— again is familiar Congress terrain.
A negative agenda — we are not like other parties, we are against corruption — can temporarily unify dissent within the country. Large projects have helped big corporations, thrown people out of their land and rendered many destitute. Opposing corruption in such projects can get activists to join AAP. But it still begs the question: what is its development model?
Take a Stand
Without a clear ideological position, there is only so far AAP can go. But given the slow demise of the Congress, AAP still has considerable space to grow. After all, the Congress has been able to continue as a multi-ideology alliance for a long period. So why not AAP?
The problem is that India is now entering development phase where keeping all options open on development, with free markets as well as state intervention, is no longer possible. The economic crisis is catching up fast and all political parties will need to address how to get out of it.
The AAP is still in its honeymoon phase with the electorate. A few days in governance in Delhi, constituting largely declarations of intent and sitting on dharnas, do not constitute a coherent vision. At some time or the other, it will have to stand up for its own vision of India. That will be its litmus test. more
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Top Issues are; 1 Nature is connected with the chemicals created in our bodies and hence minds, not the words or languages that human have devised for purpose, and again it is these chemicals through words spoken irrespective of lingos. 2 Education of Masses, not just a few as it has been in the past for thousands of ions⦠3 Good clean healthy food and water for all not for just a few. 4 World Currency (money), which does not depend on whims of any sort, of just one major countryâs decisions, however, on all countries put together ⦠Vote for Kejriwal, You know why, no one, I MEAN to say no one can stand for one day in front of or against DHAKKE SHAHI only may be for few moments as in case of gun (cruel words like servants and U r nothing etc.) to your face, if someone have taken stand against dhakke shahi (DS) in other words might is right, then it is a moment of celebration. In 49 days he did not only stand against DS but gained popularity not in India but in the world! If you want a positive change, mark my words positive change!, which has different way of thinking and good for All, for All and for All, then choose Kejriwal, otherwise do whatever you want to do with your vote worth less than toilet paper from a world view point of view, no one in the world will care about people who most of the time behave like sheep or Idiots..... guys...! That's it... When? I mean to say, when will your hearing and vision will start functioning, ask when? Do you want to wait 5000 more yrs i.e, five thousand years of passiveness,un- progressiveness (stand stillness) . Do you want this kind of solutions to world class problems? (a) For example; (1) Human beings are / were supposed to live 100 years and these hundred years were divided like this (a) 25 years of education (b) 25 years of raising children, family life (3) taking care of responsibilities (4) this is the troubling part SANYAAS, you mean that only men will go to the jungles leave behind uneducated and younger than men usually,women and children for RAVANAS! What a foolish shit philosophy was that, and all idiots believed it for ages⦠(b) âAnd kaam karte jaao phall kee chinta matt karâ. This works only when all are like Krishan Bhagwan ji. If majority of people are like RAAVNA then volunteerism does not, it does not work, do u get itâ¦..sooner the better if you think⦠(c) JO SUBH KUCHH DETTA HAI (i.e. your own country) , VOH SUBH KUCHH LETTA BHEE HAI or JAANTA BHEE HAI KAISEY, KAISEY and KAISEY ! Yeh Kabhie bhi matt bhoolnaâ¦please please⦠Slogan: Vote for Kejriwal, and expect progress for all, all, all and all... No Pains and no gains: This change will cause lots of pains for old prominent and corrupt and lots of gains for all so choose Kejriwal..... (d)----Equals resolve their differences via dialogues always, Unequals fight, fight, fight and fight always, And what would both equals and unequals do always! For resolve forever with absolute and always!.................by Chaman Bhardwaj (e) Because of whose errors in judgments India was ruled for thousands and thousands of years, do u get it or not?, If not then, read this post all over again and also your history books (also "his-story" that means those who made or created not repeated history)! let me tell you if your foggy thoughts have any doubts or viciousness or maliciousness cannot comprehend, it was due to mistakes made by so called high caste officers and not low class servants? You have to answer this question at this election time. It is very important. The answer is obvious! Looser will cry for ever and also fight forever, winners do not, they fix everything once forever, and forever! more
Mar 30
BJP has to consider its failure to capture the anti incumbency votes. It is quite clear that the INC miserably failed to intact the faith of Down trodden classes and that is why several regional leaders emerged. The resent Delhi Assembly result clearly proves that the Dalits are most vulnerable, and desperately sicking for leaders who can really render special care to it. The Second most exploited voters are the voters dependent on agriculture. There is no catering of the most important class of our economy. Today the worst trend of the society is this that the persons engaged in agriculture are engaged in this out of compulsion and there is no amount of proud to be an agriculturist. Rather the neo elite class that is from Babu to Babu (Government sector) are the only haves class and the rest are haves not. this serious trend is sure to effect the very basis if our culture and ethos. BJP must look into such need of the time and accordingly respond. J K Jha, Advocate more
Mar 28
A few days in governance in Delhi, constituting largely declarations of intent and sitting on dharnas, do not constitute a coherent vision. At some time or the other, it will have to stand up for its own vision of India. That will be its litmus test. more
Mar 28
