Allies hold the kek : Bipin Sharma
Much as the naysayers and the Modi bashers might like to believe, the BJP rout in the recently concluded Delhi Assembly elections will not have much ramifications in the forthcoming West Bengal and Bihar Assembly elections.
This because if the staunch Modi critics think that the AamAadmi Party (AAP) would be lending them the much needed ammo for contesting against the BJP, they are sadly mistaken. The AAP is astute enough to not get swayed by any such clarion call for joining hands against the BJP with any of the regional satraps as well as the Indian National Congress Party. Assuming for a moment that the AAP takes a contrarian stand, and goes to lend its support for the Bihar and West Bengal state elections, in such a scenario, they stand poised to face colossal opposition from their ardent supporters who have a great deal of expectations from them, and expect them to be focused towards the issues pertaining to the capital city. The fact of the matter as of today, is that the AamAAdmi Party not only duly realizes the pluses of the thumping mandate that they have got, but also the repercussions in case they fail to deliver, and become complacent.
Sooner or later, ArvindKejriwal the giant slayer or the giant winner as one may address him, would come to terms with the reality that governing a state is far different from donning the hat of an activist or a crusader.
As an activist and anti-corruption crusader, he often appealed citizens not to pay their electricity and water bills. However as he assumes the chair of the Chief Minister of NCT Delhi for the second time, he would realize the predicament of a ruling government as well as its leader at the helm of the affairs.
In his manifesto, he has talked about free Wi-fi in the capital city, and this too would be a tough challenge for him once he initiates his quest of giving freebies to the citizens of Delhi.
It would be interesting to see how Kejriwal tackles the issue of corruption in his own party since it is implausible to expect the entire flock to be coherent in matters of integrity and transparency.
In the last three years of Kejriwal’s emergence on the national arena, he has undergone a drastic transformation as far his approach is concerned. Unlike the earlier times, when he was used to often lambast at tall leaders from across the political spectrum as well as the top notch business honchos, Kejriwal of today, is a far more composed, mellow and shrewd politician who measures his words sagaciously, and refrains from firing salvos recklessly. He has timely realized the futility as well as the perils of taking all opponents simultaneously as it only causes more pain and no gain. The Kejriwal of February 2015 treads with a great deal of caution, and in a short time has mastered the art of being politically correct. He touches a chord with the masses when he commences delivering a speech.
While a certain segment of the media derives great joy intaking regular potshots on NDA government by insinuating that the Modi wave is waning, it would be preposterous keeping in mind that it too short a time frame to pass judgments. No sooner did Kejriwal humble his opponents in the 2015 Delhi Assembly Elections results by a huge margin, than the same section of political pundits began saying that Kejriwal has overtaken Modi. To understand why such an analogy is absurd, one has to simply take into account the career graphs of Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. Any average IQ movie buff can say it with reasonable sense of assertion that even in his 70s, Amitabh continues to enjoy all the adulation which a modern day heartthrob would be enjoying in his prime. The 90s and the 2000s saw the emergence of a new star named Shah Rukh, but did it result in the waning of the popularity and the charisma of the original Angry Young man of the Indian cinema i.e. Amitabh Bachchan?
The answer is a big No! Just like apples cannot be compared to oranges, it would be incorrect to make a sweeping statement that kejriwal’s landslide victory in Delhi elections has resulted in the waning of Modi wave.
Modi is a national phenomenon while Kejriwal is a state phenomenon. the common thing about both being that the onus rests on both Modi and Kejriwal to prove their mettle at the national and the state level respectively in terms of result oriented effective governance.
If people are setting stringent deadlines for PM Modi todeliver, Kejriwal too would be under a tight time deadline to show results that he has promised. On the oath taking day of his assuming the Delhi CMs office for the second time on 14th February, 2015, Kejriwal displayed all the traits of an astute politician. Unlike the 49 day CM of the first term, Kejriwal in his second term seems far more mellowed and politically correct.
If the AAP has taken the gold medal in the 2015 Delhi elections, the Congress would like to believe that the silver medal has gone to them since their defeat was already a foregone conclusion, and if anything unexpected and shocking has happened, it has been the BJPs massive rout these elections. Rather than feeling aggrieved that they could not even win a solitary seat in the 7 member strong Delhi Legislative Assembly, the Congress it seems is exulting in the drubbing that the BJP has faced these polls. Well that’s you call a ‘positive attitude’.
On the serious note, if the BJP needs to draw any lessons from this defeat, they should acknowledge the immense pertinence of ally partners in running governments. Antagonizing prospective allies seems to have a become a habit for the BJP, and they seem nonchalant about it. One area where Congress enjoys a distinctive edge over the BJP is in its rapport with the different political parties. Whether it is on the plank of secularism or some other factor, the fact that Congress has a far superior acumen of alluring and retaining allies, keeps alive the idea of their bouncing back like the rise of the phoenix from the ashes.
PM Modi should draw lessons from the mistakes of his predecessor Manmohan Singh who kept a stoic silence over rampant incidents of corruption. The reason why Congress was handed a crushing defeat by the citizens of the country is primarily because the leaders at the helm did little to send a strong message to the masses that they were undertaking drastic measures to control corruption at the highest places. Likewise PM Modiand Amit Shah should perpetually bear in mind that the taint of being a communal party still looms large over them, which is why it becomes imperative on their part to crack the whip on all those treacherous elements that are religious intolerant as well as who perpetrate hate crimes based on religious lines. While he has done the country proud on the global arena, it is a well known veracity that his timely intervention could have averted incidents like the one witnessed in TrilokPuri and Muzzaffarnagar.
Well it is upto the stalwarts to decide whether they need to get going before the going gets tough, or at the initial stage when their intervention and contribution can do a world of good to the society.
