The Aam Aadmi Party, the new anti-graft political party performed disappointingly in the Indian elections as it could secure only four seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament. Contrary to the expectations of the party leaders, it drew a blank in all the states but Punjab where it bagged all the four seats. Party leader Arvind Khijerwal lost by a big margin to the BJP's prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi in Varanasi. The party failed to capture any of the seven seats in national capital Delhi despite the fact that the AAP did very well in the state assembly polls here not long ago. But the party is far from being totally frustrated as it says the beginning in the national polls has been quite good and the anti-graft campaign would continue.
The Aam Admi Party (AAP) made news in India and beyond by going to power in important Delhi state in India within a year of its debut. It caused an equal sensation when it chose to quit the government voluntarily as it failed to implement a key electoral pledge. The party was very much in discussion in the context of just-concluded Indian elections as it targeted the heavyweights of major political parties.
The APP created a sensation by taking harsh anti-graft policies and pursuing a simple life in politics. It won in Delhi state elections in a stunning fashion and later formed the government, defeating big established political organisations and earned praises for some people-oriented commendable measures. But the government of the new party also rattled a few features, raising controversy at home and abroad about its style of functioning. Even though the sincerity of the new government was not questioned, some of its acts seemed dramatic in nature and also were mired in controversy. At the end, it resigned from the government only after 49 days when it failed to implement a pledge meant to curb corruption in face of opposition from two major parties - the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress. It challenged the heavyweights of both the major parties in the Lok Sabha polls.
When a less-than-a-year-old political party formed government in the important Delhi state, many rubbed their eyes in utter disbelief. The reason was obvious. How could such a new organisation with leaders at the helm who had virtually no knowledge about politics made such a stunning record? The AAP demolished two main Indian political parties, the Congress and the BJP. The Congress was dethroned from power and was reduced to mere eight seats in the 70-member house of the Delhi state. The BJP gained and emerged as the largest group with 32 seats, but fell short of the required seats to form the government. The invitatiom for forming the new government then came to the APP, which bagged 28 seats, surpassing all predictions.
 Arvind Kejriwal took oath as the chief minister in a rather sensational political development. He beat in the elections Congress chief minister Sheila Dixit convincingly. It was all possible because the APP emerged in the political scene of the country with a promise of making every effort to curb corruption, particularly in the higher echelons. It promised to give maximum facility from the government to the common people, who are mired in myriad problems. The APP said the woes of the masses know no bounds and hence is the need for a government for the 'Aam Aadmi' (the common people).
 In the first decision of the government, drinking water was made free for the people with certain ceiling and other means were being explored like very cheap transportation, electricity  etc. that would directly benefit the people. The chief minister came to take oath riding a metro train and jettisoned unnecessary security arrangements. All this heralded something new in India - the largest democratic country of 1.20 billion people. Although, the leftists did near-similar things in states like Kerala and West Bengal before, the APP caused a storm in the corruption-ridden political milieu of India which is controlled by typical conventional politics.
Earlier, elderly Gandhian Anna Hazare caused a stir in India by launching an anti-graft movement that drew the attention of the nation to the perilous state of affairs in governance of the country. He called for drastic laws to eradicate corruption, but the then coalition government, led by Congress, dragged its feet. However, finally, the laws were enacted only recently.
Arvind Kejriwal, a former income tax inspector, was one of the close associates of Hazare, who is keen to maintain a non-political character of his movement. But Arvind and some others felt that it is difficult to implement the programmes that they were espousing unless political support was available. So, they decided to float a political party and made debut in the electoral race of important Delhi state with instant success.
But the same public support was not discernible in the national elections despite the fact that the AAP contested in more than 400 seats in several states. As it ended up with victory in only four seats, questions are being asked whether the Indian people are no longer giving importance to the anti-corruption movement. The answer is simple. People are equally concerned about graft at all levels of national activities and it is the main reason for which the electorate delivered a crushing defeat to the Congress-led UPA government. The AAP launched campaign against both the main parties - the Congress and the BJP. Unfortunately for the AAP, it is the BJP which successfully seized in its favour the anti-graft mood of the people against the Congress-led government. As the main opposition party, the BJP romped home with the benefits of the anti-graft wave that was essentially created by Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal. The BJP leadership was prudent enough to take these advantages while the electorate found little confidence in the AAP that it would be able to run a big nation. The AAP leaders now admit that resignation from the Delhi government was a big 'blunder' that made people doubtful about the ability of the party in running a government. Nevertheless, the AAP says there would be no slackening in the anti-graft movement which it believes will pay dividends in politics in the long run.
zaglulchowdhury@yahoo.com
BJP thrives on anti-graft stir of Hazare, Kejriwal
Zaglul Ahmed Chowdhury | Published: May 20, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00
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