Mahatma Gandhi had said, “We should be the change that we wish to see
in the world.”
For all practical reasons, the
recent elections remind me of this dictum. I am included in the lakhs and
crores of people who had always criticised the Indian political system. We all
constantly maintained that politics is but a shady and treacherous quicksand
which is a no-place for educated people like us. What right then do we have of criticising
the systems?
I see an answer to this
allegation in the form of a bunch of some bare handful people who initially
decided that they would enter into politics. They were led by an engineer
turned civil servant, Mr Arvind Kejriwal. They decided to be the change that they wished to see. And this is the first lesson
of inspiration that I get from them.
Action speaks louder than words
Many people still criticise them
of parting ways with Anna Hazare ji. Though I have deep rooted respects for
Anna ji and his ideologies, I still believe more in being practical. It is
natural to compare Anna ji with Mahatma Gandhi, the father of our nation. Even
Gandhi ji believed in movements intended to shake the foundation of the British
rule. Some of his movements were so strong that they literally scared the
British to the hilt.
But there seems to be a
fundamental flaw in trying to recreate the feel of those movements in today’s
India. I believe even Gandhi ji would have agreed with this – there is a
difference between India under the British rule and Independent India. And the
greatest difference is that in the Independent India – all citizens have a
Constitutional Right to seek representation. Everyone has a right to come
forward and challenge the government’s working – by standing for elections and
bringing down corrupt governments. Something which was missing pre-independence.
Now think of it this way. Before
independence, we practically had no alternative but to resort to movements and
raising our voices against the cruel British rule. Therefore, the movements
initiated by Gandhi ji were absolutely necessary and justified at that time.
However, today, there is no sense in simply shouting about how the government
has failed to deliver on the promises and service to the people. A simple and
more practical way is to stand against the government and do what we always wanted
them to do.
And this is precisely what the
AAP stands for. It is resorting to a more practical and deliberate way. I know
that I have touched upon some of the most sensitive issues surrounding the AAP.
At this point, I may also confront several people who would disagree with me.
Trust me, I am only putting forth my views. And we can always agree to
disagree.
For me, the greatest lesson that
AAP has given us is a lively example to prove the dictum that action is more
powerful than words. Well, I agree, even I am not doing anything more than
speaking. Even I am using only words to support AAP. But one that decision I
have made for myself is – I will vote for AAP if I get a chance. That is my
action in support of them.
Innovation is the key to seek attention
One of the most spectacular
things about AAP is that it was successfully able to bag 28 seats in Delhi
elections with a shockingly small budget of ₹ 20 crores. That would be less
than the amount spent by political big-wigs for even one constituency. And how
did that happen? This was achieved by resorting to rather unexplored means of
election campaigning.
AAP members wielding brooms
roamed around the streets of Delhi, investing all their time in reaching out to
maximum people at their doorsteps. On the other hand, parties with the largest
experience of contesting elections adopted the contemporary means of large
scale political rallies with heavyweight leaders shouting at the top of their
voices and largely criticising the other parties instead of projecting their lookout
in the frame.
This Sunday after the election
result, I was travelling by train towards Vadodara. And the people in my compartment
started discussing politics. One middle aged man said something very noticeable.
He said that the most important factor which plays a big role in voter confidence
is that the candidates contending elections project themselves as a helper
rather than a ruler.
"Compare the situation. On the one hand, a person comes to your home
and discusses your problems. Organises small gatherings in the locality and
then communicates personally. Even though that gathering would have not more
than a hundred members, yet all of them would relate to what is being discussed.
On the other hand, a big image leader is shouting something from the microphone
and thousands of people flock over to listen to what is being said and cheer to
the tunes of his speech… Who do you think they would like more?”
No. The answer is not so simple.
While it is a fact that with small gatherings – many of them – you can
penetrate to the masses and know the ground level realities. Yet, you cannot
cover a big chunk of elector segment. And that is precisely why none of the big
parties resorted to this innovative election campaigning. Moreover, for them,
the large number of people flocking the venues is a measure to show off strength.
Most important – Build the
government from bottom to top, not the other way round
Alright, I face it now. Much of
the things I mentioned in the previous sections were indirect references to
some leaders with a national fan base, including Mr Modi. At the outset – let me
clarify. I really respect Mr Modi for the kind of governance model he has
projected in Gujarat. In fact, many people in the country today are looking
forward to extend their support towards Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha
elections. Including me.
But presently I wanted to say something
else. One thing that bothers me is that elections in India have largely become
associated with one or two faces. This phenomenon is widely referred to by the
media as polarisation of politics. In other words, everyone looks at the top
and then casts the vote. I have seen many of my friends saying, “I will vote for Narendra Modi”
While I agree in the effectiveness
of Mr Modi as a capable leader, I am actually surprised to see the kind of statement
my friends make. No – you cannot vote for Modi if you are not in his
constituency. You are supposed to be voting for the person who will represent
your constituency. Does that happen?
Alright. Now let us make an
assumption. For the Lok Sabha elections, suppose you are casting your vote from
Lucknow constituency. Let us assume there are two members standing from Lucknow.
One of them is from the BJP and the other is from the Congress. Please keep
your prejudices out for a moment and think. Suppose you know that the person
standing on behalf of the Congress is actually a more capable leader than the
one in BJP. Whom will you vote for?
Did you say BJP?
You see – we always look at the
top and then cast our vote. Sometimes we don’t even know who is the candidate standing
from our constituencies? We just have to look at the election symbol of the
party and then just pressing the button. Don’t you think we are counting too
much on one personality? You still don’t understand? Let me take an example to
explain the real problem we face.
Let us begin by assuming that Mr
Modi is an efficient leader. And let us also suppose that you voted for the BJP
candidate from Lucknow because you wanted to support Modi. Now that person is
not a good leader. Suppose there is a growing need in Lucknow to construct a
new railway line to Jabalpur. Who will be the voice of the people? This Member
of Parliament right? Now think if he is corrupt and he actually asks for bribe to
raise your voice in the Parliament. Have you been fairly represented?
The greatest disadvantage of
polarisation of politics is that the parties do not pay attention towards
projecting candidates with clean image. And frankly speaking, the love for Mr
Modi is so much in the country today that people might press the Lotus button
without even reading the name of the candidate representing their constituency,
without caring even if that person has been convicted of a serious crime. Is
this the real face of democracy?
This is the biggest change that
Aam Aadmi Party has brought to the fore. Their greatest emphasis has been towards
projecting candidates with clean image. And this is the biggest lesson that it
will give to the national and much bigger political parties. I do not say that
AAP is the only party with the cleanest candidates, and I also do not say that
candidates contesting from other parties are all corrupt.
My only objective of raising this
point is that – we should also look at the persons who are contesting from our constituency.
In fact, we should do that without being biased about which party they belong
to. Remember that if the cleanest candidates join the Parliament, only then the
country will function properly – even if it means a healthy opposition also.
Let me elaborate on the
importance of this point theoretically also –
Suppose everyone would vote by
looking at the top only. And suppose everyone thinks that Mr Modi is the best
leader. And so everyone votes for the BJP candidates (without bothering who is
that candidate). Theoretically, this would mean that the Parliament is full of
BJP MPs. Do you think this is a good sign?
On the other hand – suppose everyone
voted for the candidates that are genuinely good, irrespective of which party
they belong to. In this case, the Parliament may not be full of BJP candidates.
But it shall consist of good leaders in the government and good leaders in the
Opposition. Remember that a good opposition plays an equally vital role in
building the country.
And I believe that with the
rising of Aam Aadmi Party – all the other parties would also learn a lesson
from this. There will be a genuine move in the country to project good
candidates who deserve to be representatives of the people. Therefore, I really
respect the AAP for the kind of governance model they have initiated.
The economics of change…
My purpose of writing this blog
post was not to compliment or criticise any particular political party.
However, it is also true that we must take note of the developments in the
politics in the country and appreciate some of the changes in the national
interest without letting our preferences form a prejudice over the integrity of
the candidates and the election campaigning.
We may not be staunch supporters
of AAP. But, there is no denial of the fact that this party has indeed set
stage for some great introspection towards re-writing the rules of democracy. I
take this opportunity to compliment Mr Arvind Kejriwal and his team for his
historic and exemplifying debut in the political class in the country.
I appreciate the new methods they
have introduced. I am sure this will only lead to a further innovation and
better politics that will help to shape up a bright future for the country. And
if you fail to appreciate that – I am sorry for you.
May everyone live a happy and
peaceful life! May everyone keep on smiling! J
Regards,
Palkesh Asawa
No comments:
Post a Comment