I personally do not agree with AK’s “My way or the highway”
mentality, nor do I believe that the Lokpal/ Janlokpal is the magic wand to
clear all woes of the country. My views on this are already here- http://random-seriousness.blogspot.in/2011/09/why-janlokpal-will-die-silent-death.html
But as the polling day nears, I find
myself increasingly wishing that AAP makes a dent, and a big one at that, in
the BJP’s and the Congress’ vote share, and by extension, their bloated egos.
Politics today has become a huge melting pot of sorts, with
everyone from corrupt journalists to young IAS’ aiming to join the nexus of
power and money. During independence, the Sikhs decided to stay with a
predominantly Hindu nation because they had a “roti-beti ka rishta” i.e. a culture of intermarriage and common
eating. This amazing culture that saved a nation once has now turned into a disaster.
Giving your daughter to someone was a mark of the absolute trust placed in each
other. Cut to today, it’s not difficult to see instances of BJP/Congress
leaders’ marrying their daughters into wealthy corporate houses, or even worse,
into each other’s houses. This undying trust cuts across party and even
ideological lines and is bound by a common love for money and power.
My home state Uttrakhand was founded on the premise of
focused governance for the hill folk. Over the years, people realised that the only
reason politicians supported this was to ensure a greater number of red beacons
in the state. I’m sure Uttrakhand today is the only state where there are
greater numbers of red beacon vehicles in the state than the total MLA seats,
both sides combined. The state of a department is inversely proportional to the
size of the houses of the involved officers. It’s not uncommon to find small
government officers (Net salary <50000 pm) living in huge mansions worth
crores of rupees. Even the young IAS’ (The IIT-IAS types) have not been able to
arrest this. In fact they are the ones colluding to increase this menace. It’s
not hidden from anyone thata serving IIT educated IAS officer was found with
Rs. 4 crore cash in his car that crashed killing him. That he was an IAS made
sure that this story never made the headlines. Last year, a capable party
founded and led by ex- Army/ IAS/ Doctors was in the election fray. They hoped
to trounce the BJP and get the state in order. The end result- all participants
lost their deposit, and the “Uttrakhand Raksha Morcha” as it was called fizzled
out. The congress BJP combine continued on their path to plunder, this time
under a Congress regime headed by an ex High court judge who had to resign on
corruption charges.
That’s what I fear in Delhi- if the AAP loses, the entire
honesty brigade will fizzle out, and people will return to their lives with the
same slogan- Iss desh ka kuch nahi ho
sakta. A win here will prompt a nationwide revolution against the current
brand of politics and in the long term- that’s what we want. It will also
prompt the Congress and the BJP to get their houses in order, and work towards
genuine political work. To those who say that AAP doesn’t have the required
experience- I would say it’s not difficult to gain that while working-
especially when the leaders have some experience in the government. Anyways, we
have nothing to lose. Delhi being a Union Territory - even matters as trivial
as law and order are not under the state government. The presence of the
Central Government here as also the powerful Municipal Corporations leaves
little for the state government to mismanage. On the positive- the city is a beacon
for the entire country and a change here will lead to a change everywhere.
So personal differences aside- I call on everyone to give
AAP a chance, let’s see what they bring on the table. Im sure honesty is one, and in today's world of Icons falling everyday, that may turn out to be the Sanjeevani Booti.
