It's a sad moment, have nothing to say: Anna on AAP-Congress alliance
By Niticentral Staff on23 Dec 2013
Reacting to AAP's decision of forming Government with Congress, social activist Anna Hazare said he has nothing to say in this regard but maintained that it is painful moment.
He said, "Let them (AAP) do whatever they feel, I have nothing to say about it."
Social activist Anna Hazare started his agitation for Jan Lokpal Bill with AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal but when Kejriwal decided to float his own party, Anna parted his ways.
Earlier, Anna had also accused Kejriwal of back-stabbing him and misusing funds collected during Jan Lokpal agitation .
Even as Arvind Kejriwal met the Lt Governor on behalf of AAP, Congress has come out saying that their support is not unconditional and that they cannot be taken for granted.
Meanwhile, BJP sharply reacted saying that AAP's Government in alliance with Congress is a betrayal of people of Delhi.
Social activist Anna Hazare started his agitation for Jan Lokpal Bill with AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal but when Kejriwal decided to float his own party, Anna parted his ways.
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Live: Kejriwal meets AAP MLAs, who will his ministers be?
by Dec 23, 2013 
Kejriwal has now arrived at the Constitution Club where he's meeting with the party's MLAs for the first time since the momentous announcement.
But as Firstpost's Shruti Dhapola reports, outside the venue confusion still prevails over the next Delhi government:
But swaraj wasn't the only topic of discussion outside the Constitution Club. There was also talk of who would be included in cabinet of the new Delhi government.
"Manish Sisodia might be made deputy Chief Minister," a party worker, who did not wish to be named, said.
"No,no, there will be no deputy CM, you don't know what you are talking about," another contradicted him almost immediately.
Read the complete article here
1:15 pm: Won't accept any conditions from Congress, BJP, says Bhushan
AAP senior leader Prashant Bhushan has said that they are not bothered that the Congress could pull the rug out from under the AAP government and they would implement all their promises while in power.
"We are not going to accept any conditions," Prashant Bhushan said, adding that they were only interested in fulfilling their agenda.
"We are not going on the basis that our government should last a certain amount of time. We are forming the government since the people want us to form the government and implement our promises," Bhushan said.
He said that the party wanted to show that governments could be run in a manner that was different from the manner in which the Congress and BJP had done so far.
12:50 pm: Have told Lt Governor that we are ready to form govt, says Kejriwal
Emerging after his meeting with the Lt Governor, Arvind Kejriwal said that he had given the letter staking claim to forming the next government in Delhi.
"I just met with the Lt Governor and gave him the letter that the people of Delhi want the AAP to form the government," he said.
The Lt Governor has said that it will forward the letter to the President and after that the swearing in ceremony will be held, the AAP leader said.
Kejriwal also said that if agreed by the governor the swearing in ceremony would be held, symbolically enough at Ramlila Maidan.
He finally gave up trying to shout over the throng of reporters and left.
12:35 pm: Kejriwal meets with Lt Governor to discuss govt formation
12:05 pm: Kejriwal arrives to meet the Lt Governor
Kejriwal has reached the Lt Governor's residence and will stake claim to forming the next government in Delhi. He said nothing to the dozens of journalists who surrounded him.
The mood is upbeat as other senior leaders of the AAP also arrive at the Lt Governor's residence.
When asked what they would tell the Lt Governor, senior party leader Yogendra Yadav said,"We will tell the Lt Governor that we have the support of the people to form the government."
12:00 pm: AAP keeps its MLAs in Constitution Club, trains them
In keeping with everything unconventional that the AAP does, the AAP is keeping its MLAs in the Constitution Club in Delhi and is giving them some kind of training.
Kejriwal's book on Swaraj was also taken in to be distributed among them and one wonders what the MLAs are doing and how they're managing to stay quiet in the face of this huge development.
Arvind Kejriwal is expected to meet them after meeting with the Lt Governor.
11:45 am: Delhi's Congress chief welcomes AAP decision
Congress's Arvinder Singh Lovely has also welcomed the decision of the AAP to form the government in Delhi.
"We wanted the people of Delhi to have a government. It is a good thing," he said.
Let us be clear that it is outside support for this government and we want that they implement their promises, he said.
"We are the nation's oldest party politically. We will do what we can for the people," he said.
He said that as long as the AAP continued with good policies it would have the backing of the party.
11:40 am: People greet Kejriwal as he drives to meet Lt Governor
Meanwhile the BJP seems to have decided its line of opposition:
11:30 am: Harsh Vardhan wishes AAP well and says they have cheated people
BJP's almost-chief minister Harsh Vardhan congratulated the AAP for its decision and said that the party had only aided in bringing in the Congress through the back door.
"Hope they are able to fulfill their promises to the people and hope they are able to deliver," the doctor said.
He continued to question the referendum done by the AAP and said it wasn't a foolproof method to evolve a consensus.
"This is not in the spirit of democracy," Harsh Vardhan said.
He also said there had been a backdoor deal between the AAP and Congress and the people would take the final decision on the matter.
"The people will decide how the AAP has brought in the Congress through the back door and cheated the people, he said.
11:25 am: Dikshit says congrats, says Congress support is only for policies and not unconditional
We have promised support to the AAP and we will see how they meet their promises made to the people, Former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said soon after the AAP announcement was made.
"We offer them our congratulations," Dikshit said.
We have always said that their promises are unachievable but they believe that they can achieve it so we are backing them, she said.
"The language he has used is not in keeping with regular political discourse," she said.
We have only backed their policies which can ease the burden of the people, Dikshit said.
11:20 am: Kejriwal says people of Delhi will decide his cabinet
Arvind Kejriwal managed a brief word with IBN7 and he said that the people of Delhi would decide the formation of the cabinet.
He also said that the party would stay in touch with people in order to choose its cabinet.
11:15 am: Will form govt, says Kejriwal
"I told the Lt Governor that I wanted to ask the people about the decision. What has happened is that most people should form the government," Kejriwal said.
"From here I am going to meet the Lt Governor to give him this letter saying that we will form the government," he said.
Sisodia then took the mike and said that at every stage the party had endorsed Kejriwal as the Chief Minister.
"Arvind Kejriwal is the most eligible candidate and he will be the chief minister," Sisodia announced to cheers.
11:15 am: AAP lists all the opinions received
"We had asked people for their view on forming the government and they have placed their opinion forward through various means," Manish Sisodia said.
5.33 lakh views were received after eliminating fake ids, he said.
"In all of Delhi, 280 jan sabhas were held and and in many of them people said that AAP should form the government," Sisodia said.
11:00 am: AAP MLAs stayed locked in constitution club awaiting Kejriwal's announcement
Firstpost's Shruti Dhapola reports that the MLAs of the Aam Aadmi Party are presently in lockdown mode in the constitution club in Delhi.
Locked in a single room, the MLAs are staying mum until the final decision is announced but we managed to get a snap of what it looks like:
]
Shruti Dhapola/ Firstpost 10:50 am: AAP decision expected shortly
The AAP is expected to make its announcement on the formation of the government shortly.
10:35 am: Anna says he has wished Kejriwal well already
Minutes ahead of the AAP's big announcement, veteran activist Anna Hazare has said that he has already wished Kejriwal well in his campaign and in his decision to govern Delhi.
10:30 am: As AAP prepares to make announcement, BJP tweets warnings
Call it sour grapes but BJP's Harsh Vardhan who came so close to being the chief minister of Delhi is up this morning and tweeting warnings to the citizens of Delhi about the AAP. Here's what he had to say:
10:20 am: AAP MLAs wait anxiously for party's decision 
10:00 am: AAP's MLAs meet
Even as the Political Affairs Committee meets, CNN-IBN reports that the party's MLAs are meeting at another location and while they are silent for now, they're expected to speak to the media once a formal announcement is made by the party.
9:30 am: AAP meeting begins
The meeting of the Political Affairs Committee of the AAP has not begun and we should know the outcome of it in about an hour.
9:00 am: Kejriwal refuses to reveal party's decision on forming government
Even a couple of hours before the decision, Kejriwal refused to reveal the party's final decision on the matter
"Our political affairs committee is meeting right now and will analyse the results of the poll from the people," he said
When asked if the announcement at 11 am would be on 'expected lines', the AAP leader retorted,"What are the expected lines? Let us see."
08:30 am: Who are AAP's ministers expected to be?
As AAP gets set to announce its intent to form the next government in Delhi, the Economic Times has analysed who the party's key ministers could be if the goverment is formed.
According to the report, among those who could be ministers in the AAP cabinet include Manish Sisodia, engineer turned MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj, former Congressman Vinod Kumar Binny and lawyer Somnath Bharti.
The party is also keen on having one woman minister and could choose between
Veena Anand, Bandana Kumari , and Rakhi Birla.
07:30 am: How the day is expected to play out
The AAP's political affairs committee will meet at Kejriwal's residence from 8 am to 10 am.
Soon afterwards, and perhaps after a cup of tea, Kejriwal is to announce the decision on the meeting at around 11 am. Soon afterwards he is expected to leave for the Lt Governor's residence at around 12:30 pm.
07:00 am: Kejriwal's announcement expected at 11 am
He's managed to keep the formal announcement under wraps all this week but AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal is expected to finally reveal the decision of the party at 11 am today.
"Lot of public meetings are going on today (Sunday), including four in my own constituency (New Delhi). We will make the declaration tomorrow (Monday) morning only after we get the opinion of the people," Kejriwal told reporters.
According to a Times of India report, the party is expected to make its 'big announcement' at 11 am and is expected to meet Delhi's Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung at 12:30 pm, in all likelihood to stake claim to forming the national capital's next government.
]
The next chief minister of Delhi? PTI image The opinion poll conducted by the AAP to decide whether the party should take the support of the Congress to form the government has largely been in favour of the decision.
According to the ToI report, the party is also already clear that it will conduct its swearing-in ceremony at Jantar Mantar or the Ramlila Maidan instead of Raj Bhavan and will also do away with red beacon cars for its ministers.
The party's performance over the next few months will also be closely watched on whether they are able to deliver on their pre-poll promises.
Kejriwal has now arrived at the Constitution Club where he's meeting with the party's MLAs for the first time since the momentous announcement.
But as Firstpost's Shruti Dhapola reports, outside the venue confusion still prevails over the next Delhi government:
But swaraj wasn't the only topic of discussion outside the Constitution Club. There was also talk of who would be included in cabinet of the new Delhi government.
"Manish Sisodia might be made deputy Chief Minister," a party worker, who did not wish to be named, said.
"No,no, there will be no deputy CM, you don't know what you are talking about," another contradicted him almost immediately.
Read the complete article here
1:15 pm: Won't accept any conditions from Congress, BJP, says Bhushan
AAP senior leader Prashant Bhushan has said that they are not bothered that the Congress could pull the rug out from under the AAP government and they would implement all their promises while in power.
"We are not going to accept any conditions," Prashant Bhushan said, adding that they were only interested in fulfilling their agenda.
"We are not going on the basis that our government should last a certain amount of time. We are forming the government since the people want us to form the government and implement our promises," Bhushan said.
He said that the party wanted to show that governments could be run in a manner that was different from the manner in which the Congress and BJP had done so far.
12:50 pm: Have told Lt Governor that we are ready to form govt, says Kejriwal
Emerging after his meeting with the Lt Governor, Arvind Kejriwal said that he had given the letter staking claim to forming the next government in Delhi.
"I just met with the Lt Governor and gave him the letter that the people of Delhi want the AAP to form the government," he said.
The Lt Governor has said that it will forward the letter to the President and after that the swearing in ceremony will be held, the AAP leader said.
Kejriwal also said that if agreed by the governor the swearing in ceremony would be held, symbolically enough at Ramlila Maidan.
He finally gave up trying to shout over the throng of reporters and left.
12:35 pm: Kejriwal meets with Lt Governor to discuss govt formation
12:05 pm: Kejriwal arrives to meet the Lt Governor
Kejriwal has reached the Lt Governor's residence and will stake claim to forming the next government in Delhi. He said nothing to the dozens of journalists who surrounded him.
The mood is upbeat as other senior leaders of the AAP also arrive at the Lt Governor's residence.
When asked what they would tell the Lt Governor, senior party leader Yogendra Yadav said,"We will tell the Lt Governor that we have the support of the people to form the government."
12:00 pm: AAP keeps its MLAs in Constitution Club, trains them
In keeping with everything unconventional that the AAP does, the AAP is keeping its MLAs in the Constitution Club in Delhi and is giving them some kind of training.
Kejriwal's book on Swaraj was also taken in to be distributed among them and one wonders what the MLAs are doing and how they're managing to stay quiet in the face of this huge development.
Arvind Kejriwal is expected to meet them after meeting with the Lt Governor.
11:45 am: Delhi's Congress chief welcomes AAP decision
Congress's Arvinder Singh Lovely has also welcomed the decision of the AAP to form the government in Delhi.
"We wanted the people of Delhi to have a government. It is a good thing," he said.
Let us be clear that it is outside support for this government and we want that they implement their promises, he said.
"We are the nation's oldest party politically. We will do what we can for the people," he said.
He said that as long as the AAP continued with good policies it would have the backing of the party.
11:40 am: People greet Kejriwal as he drives to meet Lt Governor
Meanwhile the BJP seems to have decided its line of opposition:
11:30 am: Harsh Vardhan wishes AAP well and says they have cheated people
BJP's almost-chief minister Harsh Vardhan congratulated the AAP for its decision and said that the party had only aided in bringing in the Congress through the back door.
"Hope they are able to fulfill their promises to the people and hope they are able to deliver," the doctor said.
He continued to question the referendum done by the AAP and said it wasn't a foolproof method to evolve a consensus.
"This is not in the spirit of democracy," Harsh Vardhan said.
He also said there had been a backdoor deal between the AAP and Congress and the people would take the final decision on the matter.
"The people will decide how the AAP has brought in the Congress through the back door and cheated the people, he said.
11:25 am: Dikshit says congrats, says Congress support is only for policies and not unconditional
We have promised support to the AAP and we will see how they meet their promises made to the people, Former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said soon after the AAP announcement was made.
"We offer them our congratulations," Dikshit said.
We have always said that their promises are unachievable but they believe that they can achieve it so we are backing them, she said.
"The language he has used is not in keeping with regular political discourse," she said.
We have only backed their policies which can ease the burden of the people, Dikshit said.
11:20 am: Kejriwal says people of Delhi will decide his cabinet
Arvind Kejriwal managed a brief word with IBN7 and he said that the people of Delhi would decide the formation of the cabinet.
He also said that the party would stay in touch with people in order to choose its cabinet.
11:15 am: Will form govt, says Kejriwal
"I told the Lt Governor that I wanted to ask the people about the decision. What has happened is that most people should form the government," Kejriwal said.
"From here I am going to meet the Lt Governor to give him this letter saying that we will form the government," he said.
Sisodia then took the mike and said that at every stage the party had endorsed Kejriwal as the Chief Minister.
"Arvind Kejriwal is the most eligible candidate and he will be the chief minister," Sisodia announced to cheers.
11:15 am: AAP lists all the opinions received
"We had asked people for their view on forming the government and they have placed their opinion forward through various means," Manish Sisodia said.
5.33 lakh views were received after eliminating fake ids, he said.
"In all of Delhi, 280 jan sabhas were held and and in many of them people said that AAP should form the government," Sisodia said.
11:00 am: AAP MLAs stayed locked in constitution club awaiting Kejriwal's announcement
Firstpost's Shruti Dhapola reports that the MLAs of the Aam Aadmi Party are presently in lockdown mode in the constitution club in Delhi.
Locked in a single room, the MLAs are staying mum until the final decision is announced but we managed to get a snap of what it looks like:
]Shruti Dhapola/ Firstpost
10:50 am: AAP decision expected shortly
Shruti Dhapola/ FirstpostThe AAP is expected to make its announcement on the formation of the government shortly.
10:35 am: Anna says he has wished Kejriwal well already
Minutes ahead of the AAP's big announcement, veteran activist Anna Hazare has said that he has already wished Kejriwal well in his campaign and in his decision to govern Delhi.
10:30 am: As AAP prepares to make announcement, BJP tweets warnings
Call it sour grapes but BJP's Harsh Vardhan who came so close to being the chief minister of Delhi is up this morning and tweeting warnings to the citizens of Delhi about the AAP. Here's what he had to say:
10:20 am: AAP MLAs wait anxiously for party's decision
Even as the Political Affairs Committee meets, CNN-IBN reports that the party's MLAs are meeting at another location and while they are silent for now, they're expected to speak to the media once a formal announcement is made by the party.
9:30 am: AAP meeting begins
The meeting of the Political Affairs Committee of the AAP has not begun and we should know the outcome of it in about an hour.
9:00 am: Kejriwal refuses to reveal party's decision on forming government
Even a couple of hours before the decision, Kejriwal refused to reveal the party's final decision on the matter
"Our political affairs committee is meeting right now and will analyse the results of the poll from the people," he said
When asked if the announcement at 11 am would be on 'expected lines', the AAP leader retorted,"What are the expected lines? Let us see."
08:30 am: Who are AAP's ministers expected to be?
As AAP gets set to announce its intent to form the next government in Delhi, the Economic Times has analysed who the party's key ministers could be if the goverment is formed.
According to the report, among those who could be ministers in the AAP cabinet include Manish Sisodia, engineer turned MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj, former Congressman Vinod Kumar Binny and lawyer Somnath Bharti.
The party is also keen on having one woman minister and could choose between
Veena Anand, Bandana Kumari , and Rakhi Birla.
07:30 am: How the day is expected to play out
The AAP's political affairs committee will meet at Kejriwal's residence from 8 am to 10 am.
Soon afterwards, and perhaps after a cup of tea, Kejriwal is to announce the decision on the meeting at around 11 am. Soon afterwards he is expected to leave for the Lt Governor's residence at around 12:30 pm.
07:00 am: Kejriwal's announcement expected at 11 am
He's managed to keep the formal announcement under wraps all this week but AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal is expected to finally reveal the decision of the party at 11 am today.
"Lot of public meetings are going on today (Sunday), including four in my own constituency (New Delhi). We will make the declaration tomorrow (Monday) morning only after we get the opinion of the people," Kejriwal told reporters.
According to a Times of India report, the party is expected to make its 'big announcement' at 11 am and is expected to meet Delhi's Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung at 12:30 pm, in all likelihood to stake claim to forming the national capital's next government.
]The next chief minister of Delhi? PTI image
The opinion poll conducted by the AAP to decide whether the party should take the support of the Congress to form the government has largely been in favour of the decision.
The next chief minister of Delhi? PTI imageAccording to the ToI report, the party is also already clear that it will conduct its swearing-in ceremony at Jantar Mantar or the Ramlila Maidan instead of Raj Bhavan and will also do away with red beacon cars for its ministers.
The party's performance over the next few months will also be closely watched on whether they are able to deliver on their pre-poll promises.
http://www.firstpost.com/politics/live-arvind-kejriwal-stakes-claim-to-form-aap-govt-in-delhi-1301871.html?utm_source=ref_article
Problem of AAP: Kejriwal is more of a mouse-that-roared
by 41 mins ago
What, oh what, is this animal called AAP? Before its stunning debut in the Delhi elections, the Aam Aadmi party was a bit of a curiosity, a welcome break from the jaded Congress-BJP politics as usual. But AAP decimated the Congress and it caused the BJP vote share to drop by 2 percentage points. As Arvind Kejriwal gets ready to take power in Delhi with a humbled Congress behind it, pundits across the country are trying desperately to categorize and label his party.
It feels a bit like a political version of that famous John Godfrey Saxe poem about six blind men of Indostan trying to describe an elephant. One felt its side and thought it was like a wall. The second felt its tusk and thought it was like a spear. The third felt its trunk and decided an elephant was like a snake. And so on.
It feels a bit like a political version of that famous John Godfrey Saxe poem about six blind men of Indostan trying to describe an elephant. One felt its side and thought it was like a wall. The second felt its tusk and thought it was like a spear. The third felt its trunk and decided an elephant was like a snake. And so on.
]
AFP
Ashutosh Varshney writes in theIndian Express that there are only three comparable instances in post-Independence history. Janata Party in 1977. TDP in Andhra Pradesh and AGP in Assam in the 1980s. He is looking at AAP as an "electoral insurgency."
AFPSwaminathan S. Anklesaria Aiyar in his Swaminomics column for the Times of Indialatches on to AAP as an "anti-corruption movement." So he compares the rise of AAP to Jayaprakash Narayan in the 1970s and V P Singh in the 1980s. The first toppled Indira Gandhi. The second unseated her son.
S L Rao focuses on how AAP grew in strength - its volunteer base, its use of social media, its strategy of collecting small donations from the many. In his op-ed in The Telegraph he compares it to the first Obama campaign.
And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!
The problem is AAP does not fit comfortably into any of its political forbears because as Rao writes unlike most parties in India, it "is not based on inherited power, wealth, community, caste or language, but on the principle of integrity."
Kejriwal has more of a mouse-that-roared persona instead of a celluloid God-on-earth like N T Rama Rao. Varshney points out that unlike AGP, AAP was not born out of a student movement. It has nothing to do with regional pride which has been the usual genesis of smaller parties in India from DMK to Trinamool to the Samajwadi Party. Though the Lokpal movement triggered the formation of AAP, the political party, it was nothing as cataclysmic as the imposition of Emergency.
This "politics as unusual" at the Indian Express headlines Varshney's piece is what makes AAP predictions tricky. On one hand with elections barely months away AAP does not have the time to build the kind of infrastructure it needs to really go all-out national though with 94 urban parliamentary constituencies and 122 semi-urban constituencies it can pack a pretty good punch. VP Singh took two years to organize against Rajiv Gandhi. And Aiyar points out both JP and VP movements "attracted prominent Opposition parties that could pool their resources, gaining national scale." By stridently going it alone, AAP retains an appealing David vs Goliath image but it means "it lacks the width of the earlier two movements."
But the short run up to the national elections also means AAP will not really have a substantial record in Delhi its opponents could really pick apart by the time India goes to the polls. Rao writes that AAP with its promises about electricity and water lives in an "economic cloud cuckoo land" and "the starting euphoria will go as inefficiencies and shortages continue". AAP, in some ways, benefits if it can go to the polls before it becomes just another political party and loses its sheen.
If AAP gets even 30-40 seats in 2014, that would mean the BJP can kiss its dream of over 200 seats goodbye. That's what is giving BJP and Narendra Modi nightmares. The Congress, already on the back-foot, is less affected because it just means that some of the votes it would lose to the BJP would go to AAP instead.
That electoral math is currently mere speculation. Delhi was AAP's old stomping grounds. It's where the party was born. Whether it translates equally well in Mumbai or Bangalore or Kolkata remains to be seen. But AAP's advantage over other political parties is that its grievances have a pan-Indian appeal as opposed to a regional one.
It is trying, writes Varshney, to practise "what may be called the politics of citizenship." That means "democratic deepening, deliberative democracy, governance, accountability, citizen politics versus clientelistic politics." Or on the flip side, it's tapping into an anger and frustration with the system. As Kejriwal puts it:
Those whose salary comes from our money don't listen to us. We cannot do anything against government doctors, teachers, fair-price shopkeepers, or policemen.
After Delhi, at least the powers that be have to pay attention to AAP. As a friend quips, this is a new version of Hum AAPke Hain Koun as the old order tries to figure out what the rise of AAP means for them. Rahul Gandhi has already said his party is willing to learn from AAP. The party was once dismissed as the B-team of the Congress. Now the Congress looks like it's the B-team.
Rao writes "national parties will need to downplay dynastic relationships in the selection of candidates." They will have to pay at least more lip service to the selection of "honest" candidates. BJP and Modi will have to remember that AAP is appealing to many of the same groups - young, urban, middleclass - that Modi has as his base writes Aiyar. "Modi offers a vision of change, but within the existing political framework. The AAP offers radical change outside the existing framework."
Its success in Delhi raises the tantalizing possibility that a vote for AAP is not a wasted protest vote after all. As Varshney writes it is "the promise of a citizen-friendly and corruption-free state, that has begun to excite the imagination of urban India. The AAP threatens to undermine politics as it is practised."
As Kejriwal and Co look at the opportunities in the rest of India, they are clearly hoping that unlike Las Vegas, what happens in Delhi does not have to stay in Delhi.
You can read Ashutosh Varshney on AAP as "politics as unusual" here. You can read Swaminathan Aiyar on AAP as compared to JP and VP here. S.L. Rao's column about the shock of AAP being felt by older parties can be read in the full here.
Politics as unusual
Ashutosh Varshney Posted online: Mon Dec 23 2013, 01:02 hrs
But AAP's real challenge will be to find ways to enhance routine accountability.How should one understand the politics of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)? How promising is the AAP's future, in 2014 and the years to come? Will the AAP hurt only the Congress, or also the BJP?
The AAP's electoral debut is stunning. It won 30 per cent of Delhi's vote within a year of its birth. It relegated the Congress to third place, eating away 15 per cent of its vote. The AAP also chipped away roughly three per cent of the BJP's vote, and reduced the BSP, which held great promise, with 14 per cent of Delhi's vote in 2008, to insignificance. With less money than the Congress or the BJP, and driven by volunteer energy, the AAP has stolen the thunder from an otherwise quite impressive BJP performance. It has rattled the Congress and planted doubts in the BJP's mind, making it unsure of what lies ahead.
Moving forward, the AAP's quick spread to India's urban parliamentary constituencies (94 in all) and semi-urban constituencies (122) simply cannot be ruled out. Penetrating rural constituencies (327) — beyond those that exist in the larger neighbourhood of Delhi, especially Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh — by May 2014 will be a tall order. If the AAP gets 30-40 seats in 2014, mostly from urban India, it will be the third largest party in Parliament. If it gets 15-25 seats, it will still be a force like the BSP, SP, JDU, TMC, DMK, AIADMK or BJD in Parliament.
This may or may not come true in May 2014, but it remains a remarkable prospect. The Congress won a large proportion of urban seats in 2009. Riding an anti-inc-umbency wave, the BJP, especially under Narendra Modi, had hoped to garner most of the urban vote. The AAP might significantly cut into that, hurting not only the Congress but also the BJP. That is why India's two largest parties feel a deep sense of threat.
The AAP's performance is best described as an electoral insurgency. Only three comparable, though not identical, instances in India's post-Independence history come to mind: the victory of the Janata Party in 1977, the rise to power of the TDP in Andhra Pradesh, and the AGP in Assam in the 1980s. Each instance was bigger in scale, and also different in key respects. The 1977 Janata victory came after the only post-1947 nationwide suspension of democracy; the AAP has made a Delhi debut, not a national one. A charismatic film star, recognised all over Andhra, led the TDP on the slogan of regional pride; Arvind Kejriwal has no cinematic record. The AGP is perhaps the most similar. It was born out of a student movement, the AAP of an anti-corruption movement. But, like the TDP, regional pride was the AGP's slogan. The AAP has national ambition.
Given the prospect of the AAP's national rise, we need to pay special attention to the ideology of the party. What can we say?
The AAP wants to practice what may be called the politics of citizenship. The party's Delhi election manifesto and Kejriwal's book, Swaraj, are the best windows to its guiding principles. Both constitute an indictment of representative democracy, as practised in India. India's polity comes remarkably close to its citizens at the time of elections, but a seemingly unbridgeable gulf appears between elections. A wooing polity at the time of elections becomes an unfeeling polity between elections. "Is democracy all about casting your vote once in five years and then letting these parties and their leaders rule the roost?" asks Kejriwal.
In formulating the problem this way, the AAP is tapping into the worldwide debate variously entitled as: democratic deepening, deliberative democracy, governance, accountability, citizen politics versus clientelistic politics. These are not the same things, but each points to the insufficiency of electoral democracy. There is, of course, no democracy without elections, but a deeper democracy requires accountability not only at the time of elections, but also during routine, post-election government functioning.
Voting is only one part of the modern idea of citizenship. Citizenship also means that individuals have a bundle of rights , especially with respect to health, education and public order. Such rights are entitlements, not an expression of government kindness. Regardless of class, ethnicity or religion, a democratic polity must deliver these services.
As I have argued in my recent book Battles Half Won, India, by practising universal franchise at a low level of income, has become a great historical exception, surprising theorists with its democratic longevity. At its level of income, no polity has remained democratic for so long. But the quality of democracy often plummets between elections. An ordinary citizen feels empowered at the time of elections, and powerless otherwise. On the whole, neither the politician nor the bureaucrat shows signs of routine accountability.
This is the key problem the AAP wishes to address. "The amount collected by the government in taxes," writes Kejriwal, "is our money... Those whose salary comes from our money don't listen to us. We cannot do anything against government doctors, teachers, fair-price shopkeepers, or policemen."
It is this critique, the promise of a citizen-friendly and corruption-free state, that has begun to excite the imagination of urban India. The AAP threatens to undermine politics as it is practised. But what are the solutions it proposes?
The bulk of the proposals can be divided into three parts: administrative, economic and political. A lokpal to investigate corruption is at the heart of the administrative proposals, though there are other ideas as well. The economic proposals are not fully developed yet. A hint about the economic philosophy is in the party's Delhi manifesto: "udyog anukul neetiyon se... audyogik gatividhiyan badghegi... isse rozgaar bhi badhega (industry-friendly policies will expand industry and generate jobs)". The AAP has given the impression of being anti-business. But it is more accurate to say that the party is drawing a distinction between capitalism and crony capitalism. It is also against anti-poverty and welfare programmes as conceptualised by the UPA. It would rather have the government allocate resources for welfare and have people decide how to use them at the local levels. "[W]e do not want old-age pension, widow pension, or NREGA, or Indira Awas Yojana. It is better to give a village Rs 3 crore in untied funds than Rs 5 crore in tied funds."
The largest part of the proposed reform is political. Kejriwal believes in a variant of direct democracy. In support, he cites the example of Porto Alegre, Brazil, well known for people's participation in budgeting. But most of all, he admires the Swiss polity, where "if 50,000 people... sign a petition and ask for a law, it has to be presented as an act of Parliament". This theory of democracy was also reflected in the AAP's decision to consult the people on whether it should form a government in Delhi. Kejriwal would like to devolve as much decision-making power to gram sabhas in villages and mohalla sabhas in cities as possible.
The debate on direct versus representative democracy is old. Essentially, the consensus in political science points to the necessity of considering issues and scale. Some issues, such as macroeconomic policy (inflation, current account deficits) and national security, cannot be handled at the local level; the implementation of health, education and public order can be. Similarly, the problem of scale is significant: what works at the local level may not work at the national level. To consult people all the time, even after elections, can hinder, not facilitate, governance. How many referendums can one have in a continent-sized polity? Porto Alegre is a small town, and Switzerland has only 8 million people. Even the city of Delhi has more.
All parties evolve. The AAP also will. As it does, it will have to pay greater attention to policy and institutional designs. Meanwhile, there is no doubt that we have watched a formidable electoral insurgency.
The writer is Sol Goldman Professor of International Studies and the Social Sciences at Brown University, where he also directs the India Initiative at the Watson Institute. He is a contributing editor for 'The Indian Express'
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/1210646/
The AAP's electoral debut is stunning. It won 30 per cent of Delhi's vote within a year of its birth. It relegated the Congress to third place, eating away 15 per cent of its vote. The AAP also chipped away roughly three per cent of the BJP's vote, and reduced the BSP, which held great promise, with 14 per cent of Delhi's vote in 2008, to insignificance. With less money than the Congress or the BJP, and driven by volunteer energy, the AAP has stolen the thunder from an otherwise quite impressive BJP performance. It has rattled the Congress and planted doubts in the BJP's mind, making it unsure of what lies ahead.
Moving forward, the AAP's quick spread to India's urban parliamentary constituencies (94 in all) and semi-urban constituencies (122) simply cannot be ruled out. Penetrating rural constituencies (327) — beyond those that exist in the larger neighbourhood of Delhi, especially Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh — by May 2014 will be a tall order. If the AAP gets 30-40 seats in 2014, mostly from urban India, it will be the third largest party in Parliament. If it gets 15-25 seats, it will still be a force like the BSP, SP, JDU, TMC, DMK, AIADMK or BJD in Parliament.
This may or may not come true in May 2014, but it remains a remarkable prospect. The Congress won a large proportion of urban seats in 2009. Riding an anti-inc-umbency wave, the BJP, especially under Narendra Modi, had hoped to garner most of the urban vote. The AAP might significantly cut into that, hurting not only the Congress but also the BJP. That is why India's two largest parties feel a deep sense of threat.
The AAP's performance is best described as an electoral insurgency. Only three comparable, though not identical, instances in India's post-Independence history come to mind: the victory of the Janata Party in 1977, the rise to power of the TDP in Andhra Pradesh, and the AGP in Assam in the 1980s. Each instance was bigger in scale, and also different in key respects. The 1977 Janata victory came after the only post-1947 nationwide suspension of democracy; the AAP has made a Delhi debut, not a national one. A charismatic film star, recognised all over Andhra, led the TDP on the slogan of regional pride; Arvind Kejriwal has no cinematic record. The AGP is perhaps the most similar. It was born out of a student movement, the AAP of an anti-corruption movement. But, like the TDP, regional pride was the AGP's slogan. The AAP has national ambition.
Given the prospect of the AAP's national rise, we need to pay special attention to the ideology of the party. What can we say?
The AAP wants to practice what may be called the politics of citizenship. The party's Delhi election manifesto and Kejriwal's book, Swaraj, are the best windows to its guiding principles. Both constitute an indictment of representative democracy, as practised in India. India's polity comes remarkably close to its citizens at the time of elections, but a seemingly unbridgeable gulf appears between elections. A wooing polity at the time of elections becomes an unfeeling polity between elections. "Is democracy all about casting your vote once in five years and then letting these parties and their leaders rule the roost?" asks Kejriwal.
In formulating the problem this way, the AAP is tapping into the worldwide debate variously entitled as: democratic deepening, deliberative democracy, governance, accountability, citizen politics versus clientelistic politics. These are not the same things, but each points to the insufficiency of electoral democracy. There is, of course, no democracy without elections, but a deeper democracy requires accountability not only at the time of elections, but also during routine, post-election government functioning.
Voting is only one part of the modern idea of citizenship. Citizenship also means that individuals have a bundle of rights , especially with respect to health, education and public order. Such rights are entitlements, not an expression of government kindness. Regardless of class, ethnicity or religion, a democratic polity must deliver these services.
As I have argued in my recent book Battles Half Won, India, by practising universal franchise at a low level of income, has become a great historical exception, surprising theorists with its democratic longevity. At its level of income, no polity has remained democratic for so long. But the quality of democracy often plummets between elections. An ordinary citizen feels empowered at the time of elections, and powerless otherwise. On the whole, neither the politician nor the bureaucrat shows signs of routine accountability.
This is the key problem the AAP wishes to address. "The amount collected by the government in taxes," writes Kejriwal, "is our money... Those whose salary comes from our money don't listen to us. We cannot do anything against government doctors, teachers, fair-price shopkeepers, or policemen."
It is this critique, the promise of a citizen-friendly and corruption-free state, that has begun to excite the imagination of urban India. The AAP threatens to undermine politics as it is practised. But what are the solutions it proposes?
The bulk of the proposals can be divided into three parts: administrative, economic and political. A lokpal to investigate corruption is at the heart of the administrative proposals, though there are other ideas as well. The economic proposals are not fully developed yet. A hint about the economic philosophy is in the party's Delhi manifesto: "udyog anukul neetiyon se... audyogik gatividhiyan badghegi... isse rozgaar bhi badhega (industry-friendly policies will expand industry and generate jobs)". The AAP has given the impression of being anti-business. But it is more accurate to say that the party is drawing a distinction between capitalism and crony capitalism. It is also against anti-poverty and welfare programmes as conceptualised by the UPA. It would rather have the government allocate resources for welfare and have people decide how to use them at the local levels. "[W]e do not want old-age pension, widow pension, or NREGA, or Indira Awas Yojana. It is better to give a village Rs 3 crore in untied funds than Rs 5 crore in tied funds."
The largest part of the proposed reform is political. Kejriwal believes in a variant of direct democracy. In support, he cites the example of Porto Alegre, Brazil, well known for people's participation in budgeting. But most of all, he admires the Swiss polity, where "if 50,000 people... sign a petition and ask for a law, it has to be presented as an act of Parliament". This theory of democracy was also reflected in the AAP's decision to consult the people on whether it should form a government in Delhi. Kejriwal would like to devolve as much decision-making power to gram sabhas in villages and mohalla sabhas in cities as possible.
The debate on direct versus representative democracy is old. Essentially, the consensus in political science points to the necessity of considering issues and scale. Some issues, such as macroeconomic policy (inflation, current account deficits) and national security, cannot be handled at the local level; the implementation of health, education and public order can be. Similarly, the problem of scale is significant: what works at the local level may not work at the national level. To consult people all the time, even after elections, can hinder, not facilitate, governance. How many referendums can one have in a continent-sized polity? Porto Alegre is a small town, and Switzerland has only 8 million people. Even the city of Delhi has more.
All parties evolve. The AAP also will. As it does, it will have to pay greater attention to policy and institutional designs. Meanwhile, there is no doubt that we have watched a formidable electoral insurgency.
The writer is Sol Goldman Professor of International Studies and the Social Sciences at Brown University, where he also directs the India Initiative at the Watson Institute. He is a contributing editor for 'The Indian Express'
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/1210646/
( hari krishnamurthy K. HARIHARAN)"'' When people hurt you Over and Over
think of them as Sand paper.
They Scratch & hurt you,
but in the end you are polished and they are finished. ''
think of them as Sand paper.
They Scratch & hurt you,
but in the end you are polished and they are finished. ''
visit my blog http://harikrishnamurthy.wordpress.com
follow me @twitter lokakshema_hari
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