Indian poll 2014: Will AAP make a difference?

-DR. ABDUL RUFF

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In Indian elections, unfortunately only money decides the fate of many candidates. Every party and candidate use huge money to outsmart each other in electoral battle.  And, therefore, parties choose only rich guys and women to be fielded in the assembly or parliamentary poll- parliamentary poll is all more difficult in this regard.

For the rich and corporate that seeks unaccounted wealth on a permanent basis, politics and poll are business, wherein huge money is invested to reap huge profits in due time.

It is nightmare for anyone to think of winning a parliamentary or assembly election to represent the people in the House.

Approximately 60 per cent of an electorate of 800 million does not exercise their franchise in favour of either of the two biggest political parties. Moreover, in 21 out of the 28 states in India political parties other than the Congress and the BJP have a strong presence. Smaller regional parties could well influence the character and complexion of the fragmented Indian polity which is going through a prolonged phase of multi-party coalition governments.

The existing opaque system in India of financing political parties and election campaigns needs to be radically transformed and made transparent so that poor man’s party AAP can compete with  big parties funded by  corrupt corporate captains and their associates among bureaucrats and criminals

All types of money, black, red, grey, ete are floating in Indian election battles.

For the first time in Indian poll politics, one party without funds from the rich and corporate is trying to win votes by decent poll premises.

After winning the hearts, minds and votes of Delhiites, the common man’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led by anti-corruption hero  Aravind  Kejriwal , has extended his  right to  help common  folks across the nation, now facing  all major political parties and leaders  of the nation and states.

AAP has taken on both semi-Hindutva Congress party and ultra Hindutva BJP at national level. However, without any background agitation works in states against rising prices and corruption, the new party is unable to face the regional parties.

Without exposure to politics and poll strategies, the Aam Admi is more or less   pathetic looking common people in states.

Kejriwal should have organized the party and movement in every state before the launching the poll campaign so that party candidates feel confident enough to face the electorates  

However, the AAP is storm enough to attack the nation’s top corrupt and communal politicians eying the parliament and power in New Delhi.  Kejriwal has challenged the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) to disclose the names of people from whom they received huge and grey funds now being spent in the Lok Sabha election campaign.

AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal today accused BJP and Congress of pressurising the Lt Governor to defer Assembly polls in Delhi and said both the parties were "scared" of elections. "If elections are held tomorrow, AAP will get 50 seats.

They (BJP and Congress) pressurised the LG and deferred the elections. Why arethey scared of elections? We went to the Supreme Court seeking dissolution of the House and asked for fresh polls," Kejriwal said at a rally in Dwarka in support of AAP candidate for West Delhi Jarnail Singh. "The SC had sent a notice to both Congress and BJP, seeking their reply on the issue. Today, they were expected to respond to the notice, but both have sought more time. It raises question mark on their intentions," he said. On gas pricing, Kejriwal said if his party gets all the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, it will ensure that gas prices do not rise. Kejriwal said that it was essential to defeat "emperors" of UPA and NDA to reduce inflation and corruption. Kejriwal also took a jibe on Congress President Sonia Gandhi's comment that governance is not a child's play, in an apparent reference to AAP. Deflecting the Congress President's remark at her son Rahul Gandhi, he said, "She should not have said this about her son... He could be around 43-44 years and the Constitution does give him the right to become the Prime Minister."

in a press release the AAP said that the silence of these two parties on the Delhi High Court's judgment which held them guilty of accepting foreign funds in violation of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act makes it clear that the Congress and the BJP are hand in glove on the issue of taking huge financial favours from corporate houses in return of providing them undue benefits wherever these two parties are in government. The Delhi High Court directed the authorities to take action against the Congress and BJP for receiving donations from United Kingdom-based Vedanta Resources' subsidiaries on the ground it violated laws.

AAP demanded that the Election Commission (EC) of India should monitor the probe into the foreign funding of Congress and BJP, stating that the Home Ministry, which had virtually given a "clean chit" to these two parties, cannot be expected to complete an impartial investigation. The EC, which has taken concrete steps in curbing the use of black money in elections, should treat this case as an example to come down hard on the corporate-political nexus, exposed by the landmark High Court judgment.

The release further stated that funds received from the Indian subsidiaries of England-based Vedanta Resources raised serious allegations of conflict of interest and bribery. These allegations cannot be brushed under the carpet and AAP demands the EC should seek all details from these parties about all clearances provided by their governments to these companies and when did they receive funds from these companies. 

In a series of questions, AAP asked the Congress and the BJP to come clean on money received as donations from foreign sources during a certain period of time. "Can the Congress deny that it has received nearly Rs 10 crore as funds from foreign source in violation of the law between 2003-04 and 2011-12? Can the BJP deny that it has received almost Rs 20 crore foreign funds over the same period?" AAP asked. "Can BJP deny that it has even received foreign funds from the Dow Chemical Company, which acquired the Union Carbide Corporation, that was responsible for India's worst industrial disaster - the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy?" it added.

AAP also questioned the silence of Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde over the Delhi HC judgment."Why is Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde silent after the Delhi High Court found his ministry to be giving a wrong explanation on the foreign funding of the Congress and the BJP?" AAP said.

The Delhi High Court's judgment on the petition jointly filed by EAS Sarma (former secretary in the central government) and the Association for Democratic Reforms, makes it clear that the home ministry and the Election Commission have to take action against these two parties. The High Court judgment has come at a very crucial time, when the campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections is in full swing.

Apart from the fight for political supremacy in Varanasi, Narendra Modi and Arvind Kejriwal are pitted in another battle – involving books. Books on the two leaders are in demand among people of the temple town, which goes to polls on May 12.

People here have been asking for books on Modi and one written by Kejriwal even before both declared their intentions to contest from Varanasi.  Books on Modi became popular after he was declared the BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate while demand for Kejriwal’s books went up after AAP came to power in Delhi after the assembly elections last year. However, book distributors say that Kejriwal has an edge over Modi when it comes to demand for books. Currently, there are more than four books on Modi written by different authors available in the market while Kejriwal has around six books on him, besides ‘Swaraj’ written by himself. In his book ‘Swaraj’, Kejriwal questions the existing democratic framework in India and proposes a way how the people of India can achieve true swaraj or self-rule.

The demand for ‘Swaraj’ rose after Kejriwal became the chief minister of Delhi. Books on Kejriwal are more in demand among the youth. Also, intellectuals and people from academia prefer his books over Modi. Modi has not written any book, but books have been written on him. On the contrary, Kejriwal has written books and it’s the primary source to know him

By its amazing electoral performance in India's capital, the barely-one-year-old Aam Admi Party led by Arvind Kejriwal has suddenly attracted the imagination of many in the country, especially young people.

Undoubtedly, the AAP's ascendancy has raised a number of questions, the answers to which could exert a profound influence on the future of India's polity.

Today, Indian poll politics is dominated by the Congress party and Hindutva parties like BJP. In order to win many seats in parliament, the AAP should be able to make a dent in the support bases of the country's traditional political parties, in particular the two largest ones, the Indian National Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, apart from taking on the regional major parties. .

Will the Aam Aadmi party be able to do that?

One thing is certain.  AAP may or may not win enough seats to be a credible coalition partner to run India government, but it will rise above the parliamentary poll to take on all major political outfits. 

 Indian young people are searching for a viable political alternative to the Congress and the BJP and reposed their faith in the AAP. They now acknowledge the presence of a strong anti-incumbency wave against the central government, which is largely on account of its inability to control food prices and also because of the widespread belief that it is corrupt. AAP spokespersons argue that their aim is not merely to check corruption but also make administrative structures more representative and transparent. 

Unlike in Delhi where India Against Corruption struggled to help the people,   the AAP has not been able to occupy the anti-Congress space in the other states that went to the polls, namely, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, because it lacks a presence in these and other states. AAP has to go much beyond being a Delhi-centric party if it is to make a mark in Indian politics, all of which is easier said than done. 

It is unfortunate that Anna Hazare the icon of anti-corruption movement in New Delhi, instead of supporting it,   opposes the AAP against the genuine interests of common people. AAP can serve people only when it has power with at least simple majority.

AAP needs dependable allies and partners in other parties in India's fragmented polity who will join them to strengthen Indian anti-corruption movement and democracy.  The party also requires a broad based national council to discuss all issues concerning party, people and nation so that unnecessary criticism of Kejriwal could be done away with.

Indian government, representing the largest democracy, has visibly bought even foreign new portals, asking them not publish articles against Congress party or government.

Unfortunate for democracy itself, any criticism is not part of Indian democracy.

Common people, whose destiny and fate hangs around the poll, still look forward to a winning Aam Admi party in the parliament to represent their legitimate concerns in the House with dignity.  

Corruption cannot be combated with parties like Congress and BJP playing politics at national level secretly colluding for profits sharing. .

Will the nation come out with surprises as Delhi did a couple of months ago giving a respectable position to the party of common masses?

After all, for the first time in the history of the world, an ordinary person by name Kejriwal arrived in India to take up the problems of common people who have hitherto been deceived, fooled and also terrorized by the regime and political parties.

Aam Admi party’s defeat is also the self defeat of the people of India and world. 

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