Yata Praja, Thatha Raja

                                                                              Yata Praja, Thatha Raja

The election verdict of the four Central States that went to polls says so- Yata Praja, Thatha Raja ( as are the people , so is the King). The people, in Delhi have shown their dislike for the Grand Old Party, Congress. They want a new ruler just like one of them. AAP promised them that it will do just what they want and this alternative was too pleasing to be given up. BJP got its usual share of votes from its loyal clientele of traders and shopkeepers while AAP wrested the share of  Congress from the youth and the Middle class.

What was the AAP’s USP? It promised an alternative and  that was power to the people to govern themselves.  To do this AAP first made corruption as the central issue  and repeatedly said “all neta chor hai.’ The target was deflected at Congress in the main and then to all other parties by organizing Press conferences every week and alleging corruption against individuals belonging to different parties. Vadra, Khurshid, Gadkari were charged  ,but AAP never went to lodge a FIR against anyone about whom it said it had incriminating evidence. The public gulped it and no one asked why such evidence had not been brought before the court of Law. None of the three was caught by the big arm of Law.for want of that incriminating evidence.  Yet the perception gained ground that  all of them were ‘chors’. The strategy was as simple as shoot and scoot for the idea was to throw mud that will stick . The public will not be bothered whether the mud gets washed off at the end. The art of mudslinging was made into a perfect art and AAP could emerge as a honest party because all other politicians were dishonest scoundrels.

But how many really asked who among the Delhi Government led by Sheila Dixit was corrupt? How many asked who among the PM’s Congress ministers was corrupt? (The Oppositions’ tirade against Dr Manmohan Singh and Chidambaram did not hold before the Supreme Court)How many asked where Delhi Government had let them down?  Proximity to the Central Government and perception that all PM’ men are corrupt nailed the Congress coffin.

The pity is there was no one from Congress even to list out Delhi Government’s achievements and refute the tag of corruption attached to it. Price rise was a visible pointer to the downfall of a government that looked helpless in the wake of sudden  spurt in the price of onions, vegetables and fruits. The price rise hit hard all other states also, but Delhi got the brunt of it because it happens to be the seat of both the Central government and the Delhi Government. It will be interesting to know that one of the fruit vendors whom I met after casting my vote said that the prices will come down from tomorrow once a new government is sworn in. It is not rocket science to understand the significance of such a comment – and that too from a  road side vendor.

As an objective  ‘party- neutral’ person, I feel Congress is doomed if it continues ostrich-like with its head buried in sand.  Rahul’s brave comment to follow the AAP and connect with people is yet another instance of his walking in the air without feeling the ground reality. The ground reality is people do not and cannot take him seriously. Here is a young man who thinks he is Julius Ceasar to refuse a berth offered to him in the PM’s cabinet, not once or twice but thrice. With no understanding of how a government functions, and to expect to be straightaway catapulted to the PM’s chair is either  some kind of misplaced confidence(or arrogance)  or in a more uncharitable way it is cocking a snook at people’s maturity and intelligence. His recent grandstanding at  a Press conference to signal his disapproval of Congress’attempt not to bar convicted persons from standing for election  did not fetch him kudos but derision. He who has been incommunicado as a Member of Parliament for the last nine and a half years except for the occasional outburst during the Lokpal debate can no longer hide his none too great oratorical and debating skills especially in an election year. The thinning and yawning crowds at his election speeches were an index of people’s disappointment with him . If he had openly declared that he is not going to be the PM, instead of quoting his mother’s advice that ‘power is poison’ , he would have attracted large crowds to hear him speak as someone with no personal or dynastic self-interest. Rahul and the coterie surrounding him should project him as an honest, uncorrupt, well meaning young man and not as a leader who could mesmerize and inspire people. Rahul is no Jawaharlal Nehru nor is  he PM material.

Now is the time for what Sonia calls deep introspection. I would say it should be genuine and honest introspection. Congress should do the following if it is not to be wiped off the political map of India.

1. It should at once announce its PM designate who should be acceptable to all its coalition partners. Let the person nominated be a person of impeccable honesty, cultured and civilized, able to connect with the youth on the one hand and the masses on the other, efficient and well educated. Among the young, are Scindia, Pilot, Deoras, Prithviraj Chauhan and among the older generation,Sheila and  Chidambaram fit the bill more than anyone else. Even Salman Khurshid can be thought of as the best example of selection on merit and not on religion-based factors.  Congress brand of secularism will be in evidence if they promote Salman Khurshid to the highest office.

2.Rahul should stay as President or the Vice-president of the Congress and  clean up the Agean stables of the party and make it a democratic party that will not function as  high command and dictate.

3. Congress should get some of its young articulate ministers to speak about the achievements of UPA II (not of UPA I) and remove the cobwebs in the minds of the people to make them see that all Congressmen are not corrupt as they have been made out.

3. No new sops should be offered during its last term as people will sneer at them even while receiving them in full measure.

4. To develop grassroot leadership of honest and uncorrupt persons in every State, who can connect with the people at all levels.

5. Youth is always dreaming and they will follow anyone who just promises to translate their dreams into reality. What does the youth want? -jobs, education and a good standard of living. Can Congress work out plans to establish  good educational and technical institutions and facilities that would ensure  employability? Congress has to re-draw a plan of implementable action (not gimmicky words) that will satisfy the aspirations of the youth. Congress has to identify bright young people to whom the youth will be ready to lend their ears.

6. Congress should pass Women’s Bill and if there are hurdles, it should expose those parties that create the hurdles even if this means losing their support. Lokpal Bill has to be passed even if it is a diluted version. The opposition will try to stall it by demanding difficult amendments; Congress should pass the Bill keeping it open for periodic amendments. Otherwise on this issue that is utopian in intent, AAP with the blessings of Anna will once again sway people who will not understand the problems of governance if the Bill is Anna’s version. Government should show that it means business and even if there is opposition, it should pass Lokpal bill with whatever emendations that are required so that government bureaucrats can function without tension.

7. Congress should re-invent itself. Throughout its second innings, every policy that Congress proposed was disposed off by the opposition.

8. Above all, it should emerge as a strong alternative where its strength is moral and derived from the strength of the people. AAP has given a new thrust to the people, but in politics the art of governance cannot be given to people. Democracy is for the people but democratic governance cannot be by the people, but only by those elected by the people. Honesty, transparency, integrity and service to the people should be the focus if Congress wants to be reckoned once more. The party has many intellectuals, well educated, and cultured in their talk and action.  It has talent in its party, but poilical genius is missing. The party’s introspection should lead to the discovery of that Genius.

9.Finally, it is great to trumpet that ours is a great democracy with the slogan Yata Praja, Thatha raja. Can Congress make people understand that the reverse is more important -  Yata Raja, Thatha Praja( as is the king, so a re the people). If the King is a philosopher statesman, the country will regain its past glory. If not, the country will descend into a Tower of Babel where no voice will be heard.

Did Sheila go wrong or did the voters get it wrong?

                                               Did Sheila go wrong or did the voters get it wrong?

The rhetorical question, coming after the results  had sounded the death knell of Congress in Delhi may raise the hackles of the winning parties if it insinuates that the verdict has gone wrong. That is not the intention. This is more an attempt to understand how after three terms as a reasonably good and honest Chief Minister, Sheila has failed to earn the trust of the Delhi citizens for a fourth term. The question thus relates to where did she go wrong and how did the voters get her wrong. In fact all TV channels and newspapers have confined themselves to discussions on what Delhi defeat means for the Congress party in the 2014 General elections, but none of them has felt the need to point to the good work done by Sheila that has given a distinct facelift to Delhi. Her innovative Bhagidari scheme to promote a meaningful partnership between the Government and citizens, her Samajik Suvidha programme  to re-engineer the delivery process of service and benefits to the people so that these are accessible to them with the least inconvenience, her Ladli scheme for the protection and development of girl child, orphan Girls & poor Widow's daughter's marriage, Widow's Pension etc – all these had brought an inclusive dimension to Delhi development and yet all these have failed to win the trust of the delhi-ites. Here was a CM who was awarded the Best Chief Minister of India, by Journalist Association of India in 2008 and shortlisted for the 2008 World Mayor award but today the Media discussions (with made-to-order spokespersons) are showing her to be a failure to make a point that voters are suffering from Sheila-fatigue..

What had gone wrong? Sheila had been the target of attack after the real success of the Commonwealth Games in 2010. One of the corruption charges against Sheila Dixit blamed her for irregularities in imported equipment for street lighting in the city during the games. This and a few other charges filed by the opposition party against her were all dropped by the Lokayukta. Barring one case that is still to be decided, Sheila had had an excellent record.  She could not be faulted for corruption or inefficiency nor for tha matter any of her six ministers.. But in today’s changed social mood, anyone falsely implicated is guilty even if the courts exonerate the person.

It is no rocket science to understand that Sheila’s fall is a spin-off of the indictment meted out to the Central Government for the last three years. Hard as the BJP tried to nail the PM and the FM(Chidambaram) of corruption and paralyzed the Parliament demanding their resignations, the highest court of the land gave both of them a clean chit. For the public and the Media which today considers itself as Super Judge, the two and with them the entire Congress were seen as a bunch of corrupt crooks and the whole of India under the Congress government was seen to be for the corrupt, of the corrupt and by the corrupt.  The mud and muck thrown indiscriminately at the PM’s white Kurta Pyjama and that of the FM’s ‘mundu’(veshti) had left such a strong stain that all the waters of Jamuna could not wash them away. No wonder Sheila, the Delhi Congress Chief Minister was also wafted through the corruption wave to be swept off the polling booths though she was not a part of any of these criminalities that the Congress at the Centre had been allegedly charged.

Delhi, being the Capital and the seat of Parliament is a hotbed of political intrigues and intolerance. All the Bills relating to FDI, GST, Insurance, NCTC placed in the Parliament by the ruling party were torpedoed by the opposition resulting in (a) policy paralysis and (b) rise in price of essential commodities. Congress had no strategy to counter the opposition’s repeated attempts to make Parliament non -functional and received the ignominy of a corrupt and paralyzed administration for the major part of its second innings.  All these contributed to inflation and humungous rise in essential commodities. No one from the Congress except a belated article in Times of India by Chidambaram questioned who was responsible for stalling the FDI and causing inflation. Delhi like the rest of the country was held to ransom by traders who hoarded onions, the essential vegetable for all North Indian dishes. As the onion prices rocketed to Rs 100/kilo, the writing on the wall became clear for Sheila’s government. While the onion-less preparation spared the tear ducts of the women at home, the pathetic tears of Delhi Government caught in a tussle between the opposition and the centre flowed unabated. The stale food minus the onion aroma in the Delhi homes was hard to digest leaving Sheila and her government weak and tottery. ‘No onion, no Sheila’ became the new slogan of delhi-ites. It will be interesting to know that after the elections when I asked the onion vendor whether he intends bringing down the price since the elections were over, he replied with embarassment: ‘Haan, memsahib, kal BJP aane ke badh’( Yes, madam, tomorrow after BJP comes to power).  One does not have to be a political pundit to understand the significance of the above remark.

The arrival of AAP(Aam admi party)  further changed the political equations. For the first time, Delhi-ites came face to face with the truism ‘Two is company, three is a crowd’. Aam Admi party started with a bang, painting the entire political class black almost recalling Johnson’s comment that politics is the last refuge of the scoundrels. Having drummed up enough vitriol against all political leaders every week through strategically planned press conferences, Arvind Kejrewall did not feel the need to file a single FIR against anyone of his targeted corrupt individuals.  The idea was to shoot and scoot. With Anna Hazare having earlier laid the foundation for anti -establishment slogans, it was easy for Arvind Kejrewall to capture the hearts and souls of the youth and middle class as the Champion of morality and integrity. While the Congress and BJP were at their sparring best crossing each other on all Parliamentary bills with ‘You propose, I dispose’ strategy, AAP was working its way into the hearts of the Middle class with a slogan that they are not for change from hand to lotus, but for an alternative broom to make a clean sweep of the two main contenders. It captured the imagination of the middle class and the youth. A new trend, a new beginning, a new third force- by wearing honesty on the sleeves. But its policy to seek public views on all decisions is fraught with danger. The happenings in Egypt and now Thailand give us an index of what happens when democractic govenrnance is not only  for the aam admi but it is to be determined by the aam admi. This may result ina situation as seen in the Aesop’s Fable of the Father, Son and the Donkey.

The Congress and the BJP were fighting to stall the rise of a third front of state chieftains, but failed to notice the gradual rise of a third force in Delhi. The sweep of the broom, and the kindling of nostalgia through Gandhi-topi with ‘I am aam admi’ written on its side had already raised enough political dust. The padayatra of AAP was unique unlike the padayatras attempted by the two political parties as AAP members trudged through slums and through middleclass mohallas and struck a chord with the aam admis. Congress was still in slumber while the BJP was quick to realize that it was being upstaged as all its  strategies to stall the government from functioning had  been swept away by the broom.

They were quick to respond by aggressive campaigning and by using the social media. A pity that Congress continued to be in the anti- diluvian age, mewing from political platforms where the crowd on the dais seemed to be more than on the ground. It is a paradox that the highly educated cabinet Ministers of Dr. Manmohan Singh did not recognize the power of the social media. As for the mother-son duo, the less said the better. By the time the Congress realized it, it was too late. Sheila also suffered by being neither a Twitterati nor a blogger. Whatever was attempted feebly by the Congress was- to use the frequently used media phrase- too little and too late.

Last but not the least was the desertion of the great guns of Congress to campaign for Sheila. Sheila is to be commended that she soldiered on bravely all alone as she knew that the reluctant wannabe PM had neither the language nor the voice to inspire the poor and the marginalized classes nor the intellectual stature to make an impact on the youth and the middle class nor the rasping and abrasive vocabulary to train the guns on the opposition. Sheila’s listing of her government’s achievements was met with mute resentment as Delhi-ites have been used to state pampering and thereby demanding for more. The public could see Sheila’s great efforts at developing Delhi- the metro, the swanky bus fleet, 24x7 power supply(with electricity rates far below those of all other states in India), new universities, new schemes to keep with inclusive development.etc. But contrary to Berkley’s theory, for Delhi citizens, seeing is not perceiving as perception is always derived from sensory processes. When the olfactory senses were denied the aroma of onion, perception changed from all time high development to all time low deprivation.

Even though Sheila had given three state universities for Delhi youth, the DU’s introduction of a four year degree programme without any plan to implement the Foundation courses alienated the youth. The Ministry of HRD would not stop this madness of DU and the DU student elections were a pointer that the wind was blowing away from the Congress. No surprise, the result is predicted to be a ‘hand-wash’, and a good sweep by the broom to make it easy for the lotus to bloom. The present VC should be given the title “Vibhareeda Bhushan’

Can Congress bounce back? - a million dollar question. Yes it can if it gives up its dependence on the cow and the calf and turn to honest young politicians  with proven ability to articulate through social media and showcase its achievements, its new strategies to overcome the enforced policy paralysis and its implementable action for inclusive development. Congress has so far banked only on emotional appeal to aam admi with vague promises that got stalled at the delivery stages; he (aam  admi)now demands a more rational appeal.  It has to address itself to the restlessness of the youth and the ever-whining Middle Class.  Modi- bashing is not the answer.  Creating fear phobia among the Muslims is not the key to victory. Rahul is not a match for anyone, leave aside Modi. Congress has to name a new dynamic leader as its PM candidate whose integrity, honesty, civilized and cultured manners, intellectual strength and above all the ability to articulate can make an impact on all sections of society. Can Sheila fit the bill even if she loses Delhi? Can she get the Voters right if she is nominated as PM designate of the Congress party? Can Congressdepend on Digvijaya though at times he seems to be carried away to speak abrasively like the BJP. Can they support young faces like Scindia, Pilot,Deoras  or Jairam ramesh to connect with people of all age groups, all castes and religions? Age should not be a deciding factor to rule out Sheila or Digvijay, for even Modi is young at 67+.  Let us remember what the Bard had said:

Men(and women) must endure

Their going hence, even as their coming hither:

Ripeness is all.  Can  Congress find a leader with Ripeness?

                                     

                                                                       

                                             

                                    

                                                                       

Daily Democracy and Daily Citizenship

                    Daily Democracy and Daily Citizenship

Six days to go before Delhi goes to polls for its state Assembly. Political pundits have forecast a hung assembly though some predict a victory for the BJP. Whatever is the outcome, these elections will reflect the level of maturity and thinking among the different segments of Delhi voters. Since Delhi is the seat of Parliament, these results also hold the key to determine the results of the General elections, due in the next six months. This article is not yet another survey of opinion polls as it does not attempt at crystal gazing about the next CM or the next PM. On the contrary it seeks to understand what elections are about.

Broadly speaking, Delhi voters can be classified into three groups- the government servants, the tradesmen and the university students. Outside of these three groups are the slum dwellers who do not have a decent shelter over their heads. Delhi is both a cosmopolitan and capital city of India. It is home to people from all states as the city provides job opportunities mainly in the government sector and to a lesser extent in the private sector. With five premier Central Universities –JNU, Jamia, DU, IGNOU and IIT besides half a dozen State and Private Universities, Delhi is a rich educational hub attracting students from all over India. It is also the cultural capital where institutions of classical music and dance and theatre from the South and the North, from the East and the West provide the highest quality of entertainment catering to the tastes of people coming from different parts of the country. Hence the Delhi voters’ choice that factors in diverse views, perspectives and understanding is almost a mini- national election as it is representative of the choice of the nation.

The three main parties in contention in Delhi elections are the two national parties – the Congress and the BJP and the fledgling AAP which is seen to represent the aam admi. The AAP started with a stinging bang painting the two major parties in black adapting the Old Macdonald’s nursery rhyme to make people see “here a corruption, there a corruption, everywhere a corruption,  E-I-E-I-O”.

The government servants who to a large extent have been both bribe givers and bribe receivers found it easy to join AAP so that the corruption stink did not touch them. The opinion polls gave AAP a head start and eulogized it as the giant slayer. But politics is not a black and white game where all the evil forces are pitted against all the good forces. It is like the T-20 game, mercurially changing the fortunes of the participating teams and often the upward surge gets arrested and the slide comes fast and furious. AAP has had its share of falling off the high moral ground it had claimed for itself thanks to questions -rightly or wrongly-raised about its sources of funding. The two national parties have recently begun to feel less threatened by AAP and have turned their attention to fighting each other.

Delhi voters have to be discerning in making their choice. If they vote Congress, it is an endorsement of the development that Delhi has gained over the last three innings of the Congress rule. The development is for all to see –Metro, Malls, metered gas supply, 24x7 power, fairly good water supply( though some localities have not had this benefit), quality government schools, three new State Universities(GGSIU,Ambedkar University and National Law University),besides  policies like the Baghidari scheme-to promote a meaningful partnership between the Government agencies and citizens, basically covering the provision of civic services, the Ladli scheme to enhance the social status of girl child in the society as well in the family, ensuring her proper education upto senior secondary level and  other schemes to provide genuine welfare to the marginalized groups and raise the  living standards to reasonably satisfactory levels. Such an endorsement will override all the negative criticisms against Delhi government that include corruption charges, women’s safety and rising prices, though these are not exclusively a Delhi phenomenon.  If the BJP is voted back to power after being in oblivion for 15years, it will be turning a Nelson’s eye to all the developments and rivet its attention on corruption, price rise and security of women. Given the pressing nature of day to day problems like price rise and corruption that affect the aam admi, AAP’s  rise to number one position will not be a surprise as it is reflective of the people’s anger against corruption and insecurity. AAP and BJP are one in their common thrust against the Congress government for increased power and water tariff.  But neither of the two parties has come out with their strategy as to how they would ensure uninterrupted power supply on reduced power tariff. It is one thing to make promises, but it is another thing to spell out how those tall promises do not remain just paper promises. Will Delhi buy the promises of AAP and BJP or will it be content with the present status of development ignoring corruption and price rise? Will Delhi vote for pro or anti-incumbency? What do the voters want? How mature are the voters? Will the poor and the marginalized feel that they have not been adequately provided for or will they feel happy that their lot has improved? The voters may not know how and why the prices have increased but they certainly do feel the pinch. Will they be mature enough to see through the dishonest tradesmen’s practice of hoarding and jacking up the price and making  quick money through creating artificial scarcity?

The problem with democracy is that it gives people the right to elect a government of their choice, but  this in turn makes them demand more and more from the government. But do they have a right to make wholesome demands on government without doing their duty? In mature democracy, duties go along with rights. Otherwise as H.L. Mencke says, ‘Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.’

Our democracy suffers because majority of people lack education and correspondingly lack reasoning power. People’s vote in India is not so much a reasoned choice as an emotional decision. The election manifestoes are nothing but promises to meet all their demands and the electors cast their choice in favour of those whose promises they trust. Surprisingly they have all these years acted with an instinctive alertness that puts paid to analytical or reasoned judgement.  They have not been carried away by paper freebies of bringing the moon to their doors and political manifestoes mean nothing to them. They judge by what they have received and what they can hope to receive from the party in power. All the mudslinging that leaders indulge in against their opponents may at best get a guffaw from them, but nothing beyond that.

It is a pity that no one- not even the aam admi party that claims to represent the common man- has dared to include in its  manifesto what the party expects from him .  The attitude of all leaders without exception is that of a donor to the donee. ‘I give, you receive’ is their credo and what ‘I give’ is my decision and ‘what you receive’ is not your decision. It is time to change  our political script. It is time to hold up to the people their duty rather than incite them to fight for their rights. India needs to educate its people to govern themselves before they demand from their leaders good governance. Every party claims that it is against corruption but all this talk about rooting out corruption if it comes to power is mission impossible in the absence of people failing to exercise authority over themselves. Power to the people without teaching them discipline, self control and moral and mental improvement is disastrous. The chaos and anarchy that we see around is because we have not been taught to cultivate obedience to authority whom we have elected, to practise self restraint and orderliness, to respect democracy with its principle of shared responsibility, to do unto others what we do unto ourselves.  Ralph Nader said ‘There can be no daily democracy without daily citizenship.’ It is election time and it is time for reflection.