by B. R. GOWANI
http://youtu.be/kO5Z-qXFB0E
Arvind Kejriwal, an Indian activist and former Joint Commissioner of the Income Tax, had joined hands with Anna Hazre’s anti-corruption movement. He later left and formed his own political party, AAP (Aam Aadmi Party or Common Man Party), along with Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan in November 2012. Hazare was opposed to forming a party and wanted to fight corruption from the outside. Kejriwal thought otherwise. The parting was a good move because Hazare suffers from authoritarian tendencies. Remaining in the party would have restricted Kejriwal from taking any bold action(s). Hazare had some nice words for his former aide but then attacked his integrity:
“…aur swarth, paise ka swarth nahi hai lekin abhi rajneeti me jane ke baad dusra swarth hai, matlab woh khud mantri nahi banega…(…he doesn’t have greed for money but after joining politics, ha has a different greed).”
At around the same time, Arvind Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan had accused Mukesh Ambani, India’s richest person, of corruption. The charges were not baseless. Ambani had once told Ranjan Bhattacharya (husband of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s foster-daughter, Namita):
“Haan yaar [Yes buddy], you know Ranjan, you’re right, ab to Congress apni dukaan hai (now the Congress [Party] is our shop).”
Not only Congress but also the other major party, BJP (Bhartiya Janata Party), is their shop too.
Ambani, gauging the mood of the people and anti-corruption movement, tried to play smart by not attacking Kejriwal and Bhushan but instead opted to gag the TV channels. Perhaps Kejriwal is aware of Muhmmad Iqbal’s lines:
Makar ki chAloN se bAzi le gayA sarmAedAr
IntehAi sAdgi se khA gayA mazdur mAtWith deceptive moves the capitalist was victorious
The worker lost his game due to his extreme simplicity
On the other hand, maybe Kejriwal has a good understanding of capitalists’ clever nature. Therefore, he challenged Ambani to confront him:
“I find it quite perplexing. If you felt that you have been defamed by what Prashant Bhushan and I said, then we are the real culprits … instead of sending us the defamation notice, you have sent it to the TV channels. It is evident that your sole purpose of sending this notice was to steamroll the TV channels into subservience.”
Fourteen months after forming the AAP, through the hard work and votes of the frustrated public, Kejriwal defeated Sheila Dikshit (three terms Chief Minister of Delhi, India’s capital), by capturing 40% of the 70 seats in the parliament. He is now the new Chief Minister. The result has forced both major parties to rethink their strategy for the forthcoming general election to be held this Summer.
One of the good things Kejriwal has done since assuming the high office, was to display his secularism. South Asia badly needs to practice secularism. Kejriwal did this by singing a few lines from a song (depicting brotherhood and egalitarianism) from a 1959 film Paigham (Message) as a prayer rather than the scriptural prayer during his first speech after winning election. On the prevailing pervasive corruption:
“Corruption is the most secular concept. It hits across caste, class or religion so it should appeal to people irrespective of existing barriers. Going the political way is not an end for us, it is the means to an end. Fighting elections is not the end of our movement against corruption but is part of our movement itself, which is to change the system.”
But elsewhere, answering the question, “What about the fear of failure? Is there any nervousness?” he resorted to Gita:
“… I believe in what Lord Krishna told Arjun, that one should not worry about success or failure but concentrate on doing one’s job well. If the intention is right, good results will inevitably follow.”
Kejriwal should avoid examples from religious scriptures. Many South Asian politicians have this nasty habit of using religion in politics. This only creates more divisions among different religious communities.
Questions, questions, more questions
Will the powers that be let Kejriwal live?
Undoubtedly, his political and corporate opponents must be thinking of a way to eliminate him without having his blood on their hands.
Recently he did the sensible thing by accepting higher security he had previously refused.
One of the AAP leaders told India’s Frontline magazine:
“The party was ideologically fuzzy by design so that it could attract from all streams well-meaning people committed to the larger well-being of society.”
However, how long can AAP remain fuzzy?
Sooner or later, it will have to tackle the haves and have-nots problem in Delhi and lay out a plan to combat it – if it is seriously interested in common people’s welfare and the vast income and wealth disparity. Another major pressing problem facing Delhi (like elsewhere in India) is women’s safety. The number of rape victims is on the rise.
During this week’s protest, Kejriwal did raise the issue of rape:
“Women (in Delhi) keep on getting raped. Police says investigation is on but that is not enough. If a rape happens someone has to be held accountable.”
Delhi’s newly elected Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal spent the night on the road with his supporters. PHOTO/BBC
He demanded the suspension of three police SHOs (Station House Officers) during a two-day street protest.
Meanwhile, Kejriwal conducted his work from the street and spent a night there. The protest was called off after some demands were met. (Delhi’s Chief Minister Kejriwal, like his predecessors, has no control over Delhi’s police force because it is controlled by home ministers representing the federal (central) governments. The current one is Sushilkumar Shinde.
Will Kejriwal sack his Law Minister Somnath Bharti?
Bharti is accused of “‘racist and sexual violence'” on the African women. Human rights activists, academicians, and many others have demanded his ouster. Somnath’s racism is clear from the following:
“Nigerian girls and men all indulge in prostitution and drug trafficking and it is a threat to local ma, behen, beti (mothers, sisters, and daughters).”
Will AAP be able to capture the national stage?
The mood and fervor of the people is evident but four months is not enough to field candidates nationwide in a vast country as India with 1,200 million people. (Delhi’s population is 22 million.) Besides, the win in Delhi was a surprise to many, including the Congress and BJP. Now both parties must be planning to oppose AAP vehemently. The use of violence cannot be ruled out because it is usual in South Asian countries-but in this instance, there will be more violence.
Let us hope for Kejriwal’s success, because if he is able to change things on a drastic scale, courageous and honest people in India and other South Asian countries will try to emulate him and thus better the lives of hundreds of millions of people.
On a lighter note …
A columnist and Congress Party member Priyanka Chaturvedi on twitter made fun of Kejriwal’s tweeting about his health:
“When the Chief Minister gives you minute by minute update on his bowel movements. That. Hail democracy.”
“Coming up next Chief Minister seeks referendum as to which medicine would be best suited to tackle loose motions. Jai ho twitter!”
“Dekho bhai log and behen logs [see, brothers and sisters] that was just a joke, I wish Arvind Kejriwalji a super speedy recovery&raahat [relief] from fever&loose motions. Chill.”
Although, Kejriwal did disclose a lot of information to the public, but he is still not as transparent as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (one of the most important Congress Party leaders of the first half of the twentieth century), used to be. Gandhi was in habit of enquiring every morning from the female members of his ashram about their bowel movement. He himself had constipation and used to take enema regularly. He himself would administer saline enema to acquaintances and friends, including female members of the ashram, when they needed it. Now this is maximal democracy; and Kejriwal is no Mahatma (Great Soul). Gandhi, without the benefit of internet, used to announce, “his wet dreams to the world and kept millions informed of the state of his digestive apparatus”, in the first half of the 20th century. A great achievement, indeed!
B. R. Gowani can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com