Aam Aadmi Party led by Arvind Kejriwal, a former Indian Revenue Service officer, is making waves on the Delhi political scene following its unexpectedly impressive performance in the recent State Assembly elections held on December 4, 2013. It emerged as the second largest political party with 28 seats behind the BJP with 32 seats in the Assembly's total strength of 70 members. The ruling Congress party headed by the outgoing Chief Minister Mrs Sheila Dikshit was reduced to mere 8 seats. She herself was defeated by Kejriwal in her New Delhi seat.
The main cause of the Dikshit govt's humiliating defeat seemed to be her complacent arrogance. In her 15 year rule, she had improved the Capital city's infrastructure, but the problems of skyrocketing prices of essential commodities, including onions, tomatoes, potatoes, etc., worsened. She was unable to do anything to control them. Problems of sewage, inner city roads, sanitation, remained unsolved. Also, the general image of the central govt, headed by the Congress party as the most corrupt, non-performing, dynastic outfit, had also a serious impact on the Sheila Dikshit govt. There was a widespread mood of anger against the Congress in the voters. This benefitted the main opposition party, the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) and the new one-year old party the Aam Admi Party(AAP).
Since no party got the absolute majority of minimum 36 seats, there was a stalemate in the beginning as the largest party, the BJP declined the Lt-Governor's invitaion to form the govt on the plea that it did not have the numbers to form a stable govt. AAP had publicly declared that it will neither support any party nor seek support from any party-namely, the BJP or the Congress. However, the humiliated Congress party in order to keep its main opponent, the BJP, out of power, voluntarily declared an un-conditional support to the AAP to form the govt. Arvind Kejriwal, the AAP leader, abandoning all its earlier high-sounding promises that it would neither seek any party's support nor support any party to form the govt., conveniently compromised to come to power. It used the pretext that its self-arranged referendum through SMS, mobile phones, and locality meetings, etc., gave them people's majority approval in favour of forming the govt. The electoral mandate and its earlier high moral claims were thrown to the winds to occupy power.
Similarly, other promises like free water and cheap electricity for every one were quickly announced as a populist sop, but economic experts denounced both these measures as flawed and financially disastrous. No much prior study and their implications seemed to have been gone into. As regards their much-acclaimed aversion to the VIP culture, Arvind Kejriwal and his ministers were found to be hypocritical and duplicitous. The Ministers preferred expensive big limousines like Toyota Innovas for their travels; Kejriwal approved a big official accommodation spread over 9000 sq.ft with ten rooms and a big lawn. He justified it and got his parents' approval to move in. No wonder, his supporters and friends were annoyed at Kejriwal's disconnect between his own words and deeds, and protested to him. He quickly decided to control the damage, reversed his decision, asking for a smaller house. All his decisions seem to have one thing in common: Kejriwal's incapability to adhere to his high moral positions; and a tendency to compromise under the pretext of popular wishes gathered through a self-serving and dubious methods.
The main cause of the Dikshit govt's humiliating defeat seemed to be her complacent arrogance. In her 15 year rule, she had improved the Capital city's infrastructure, but the problems of skyrocketing prices of essential commodities, including onions, tomatoes, potatoes, etc., worsened. She was unable to do anything to control them. Problems of sewage, inner city roads, sanitation, remained unsolved. Also, the general image of the central govt, headed by the Congress party as the most corrupt, non-performing, dynastic outfit, had also a serious impact on the Sheila Dikshit govt. There was a widespread mood of anger against the Congress in the voters. This benefitted the main opposition party, the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) and the new one-year old party the Aam Admi Party(AAP).
Since no party got the absolute majority of minimum 36 seats, there was a stalemate in the beginning as the largest party, the BJP declined the Lt-Governor's invitaion to form the govt on the plea that it did not have the numbers to form a stable govt. AAP had publicly declared that it will neither support any party nor seek support from any party-namely, the BJP or the Congress. However, the humiliated Congress party in order to keep its main opponent, the BJP, out of power, voluntarily declared an un-conditional support to the AAP to form the govt. Arvind Kejriwal, the AAP leader, abandoning all its earlier high-sounding promises that it would neither seek any party's support nor support any party to form the govt., conveniently compromised to come to power. It used the pretext that its self-arranged referendum through SMS, mobile phones, and locality meetings, etc., gave them people's majority approval in favour of forming the govt. The electoral mandate and its earlier high moral claims were thrown to the winds to occupy power.
Similarly, other promises like free water and cheap electricity for every one were quickly announced as a populist sop, but economic experts denounced both these measures as flawed and financially disastrous. No much prior study and their implications seemed to have been gone into. As regards their much-acclaimed aversion to the VIP culture, Arvind Kejriwal and his ministers were found to be hypocritical and duplicitous. The Ministers preferred expensive big limousines like Toyota Innovas for their travels; Kejriwal approved a big official accommodation spread over 9000 sq.ft with ten rooms and a big lawn. He justified it and got his parents' approval to move in. No wonder, his supporters and friends were annoyed at Kejriwal's disconnect between his own words and deeds, and protested to him. He quickly decided to control the damage, reversed his decision, asking for a smaller house. All his decisions seem to have one thing in common: Kejriwal's incapability to adhere to his high moral positions; and a tendency to compromise under the pretext of popular wishes gathered through a self-serving and dubious methods.
No comments:
Post a Comment