Aam Admi Party (AAP) burst on the Indian political scene with lot of hope and promise for the common man. In August 2012, when Arvind Kejriwal launched AAP, there were murmurs of dissent from Anna Hazare’s India Against Corruption (IAC) against the idea of fighting corruption by ‘becoming part of the system’.A highly ambitious Arvind brushed aside these dissenting voices & parted company with veteran Anna to form AAP. Hopes were running high and AAP was projected to be a harbinger of a corruption-free system.
Soon after coming to power in Delhi and buoyed by media hype, AAP government announced several populist measures like 20 KL of free water, subsidy on electricity bills, ordered CAG to audit the private power distribution companies serving Delhi and many more. What followed after the initial euphoria wore down, especially as we ushered in the new year, is well known. Dharnas were the order of the day; vigilantism by law makers, confusion & chaos at Janta Durbars shook peoples’ confidence in AAP government. The last few days of AAP government were so chaotic, that Delhiites heaved a big sigh of relief as the AAP government fell after being in power for merely 49 days and the Lt.Governor took over the administration of the city-state.
After its electoral success in Delhi where it not only reduced Congress to single digit tally, but also defeated its three-time Chief Minister Mrs. Shiela Dixit in a straight contest. Following its success in forming a government, AAP spread its ambitions to national level and claimed that it would become an effective alternative to national parties like Congress and BJP. Indeed, it managed to capture the imagination of many urban citizens who considered AAP to be the panacea of all their problems. Many high profile individuals from large cities joined AAP and such events provided publicity by the main stream media. Encouraged by these high profile entrants, AAP started a membership enrollment drive on Jan. 26th with lot of fanfare, although it is not yet certain how many new members the party managed to enroll. Who are becoming members of AAP and why would they join a party whose leaders are self-confessed ‘Anarchists’? These are some questions bothering many a political analysts. When AAP was launched, its founder members were largely activists associated with IAC. People like Arvind kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Prashant Bhushan & several others were successfully operating Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) and involved in issues related to public interests. Even when AAP contested the Delhi elections its membership was largely confined to such activists. However, once it formed the government at Delhi, the profile of membership changed and well known persons showed eagerness to join the AAP band-wagon. Prominent among these were two types: professional managers who made a successful career in their respective fields. Having ample financial resources these professionals were ready to switch profession and become career politicians. Well known professionals like Meera Sanyal, Capt. Gopinath & V Balakrishnan fall in this category. Then there were celebrities in entertainment world who yearned for greater recognition but, never really succeeded in achieving it, found an easy way to ensure their dreams materialize, and, perhaps give a much needed leg-up to their receding career prospects. Two such new members – Mallika Sarabhai & Gul Panag have been in entertainment profession for long, but have forever remained ‘Also Ran’.
I think, in both these categories the desire to come to limelight and gain quick recognition was most certainly the prime motivation behind their decision to join AAP. Why else would any right minded person join a party whose leaders take pride in calling themselves ‘Anarchists’?
What does the future hold for these wannabe politicians? Will they make a mark in this hitherto unknown territory and, in time, become successful politicians? My sense is that new entrants like Kamal Mitra and Medha Patkar will manage to carve out a niche for themselves given the synergy of ideas with the present leadership. As for those from the entertainment industry, it is highly unlikely that AAP leadership feels excited about their entry. Indeed, they may add some glamour to the election campaign and might even benefit the entrants’ career prospects. But, it is really the entry of professionals that seems to have excited the AAP leadership & cadres. For one, these professionals can mobilize much needed finances for the fledgling party still in its infancy. Then, they may try to introduce some discipline within the ranks, although how this move will be viewed by the party cadres is uncertain. The important question, though is whether there will be ideological integration between the present leadership (represented by Left-liberals, Naxal sympathizers & activists) and those who worked hard to fulfill their ambitions in organizations that are reputed for their professionalism. A lot would depend on how AAP fares in the upcoming elections. From all accounts and opinion polls, it appears that AAP will not be returning an impressive performance. Should the party fail to secure a respectable number, there is widespread fear (not without reason) that many recent ‘converts’ would desert the party. There is also the ‘wearing-off’ effect and already a few dissenting voices from amongst the professionals have been heard. By all accounts, it appears that the group led by activists will continue to dominate the decision making process in AAP. In the months to come, it will be quite interesting to see how the struggle between these two disparate power centers unfolds.
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Author : Chandra Maniar is FCA (Fellow of ICAI) & has worked in India & East Africa (over 23 years in EA, with almost 15 years as Group Mg. Director in a large conglomerate. He is an expert in “Personal Finance” and “Retail Investors’ He can be reached at his twitter account Chandra M @bharat_HDL
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Very well presented facts of the AAP, only time well tell the real agenda of the interested people. Keep it up.
Very correctly analysed and I totally agree with the writer. Well written, clear & honest thought process, a well known trait of Mr. C. Maniar.
Very well-written ! Look forward to more 🙂
good post. keep writing
Good Post…..Thank you…… Let us see how things unfold…..#voteBJP