How AAP made the common man relevant in democracy again

One is not sure how the Aam Aadmi Party would perform in the Delhi assembly elections. The pre-poll surveys reveal while it has gained popularity in quick time, it would be a spoiler at the best, not winner. It would capture just about 10 seats, yet in the process would cause massive electoral damage to the biggies, the Congress and the BJP. However, such surveys have proved deceptive earlier — they offer vague hints, but don’t quite catch the undercurrents. It could spring a surprise by winning half of the 70 seats. [caption id=“attachment_1154841” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] One trusted Kejriwal more when he did course correction by launching a political party, which challenged both the Congress and the BJP. PTI[/caption] One sincerely hopes it does. It does not matter that its ideas on economy don’t inspire hope or its approach to governance is high on idealism and low on pragmatism. Outsiders barging into the opaque space of the politically privileged is always a fascinating idea. The AAP has made the commoner relevant in democracy again. This would remain its biggest contribution to the country’s political discourse, irrespective of the party’s showing in terms of numbers. Aam Aadmi Party National Convener Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday reiterated that his party will win the coming Delhi elections and said that it will get the Jan Lokpal Bill passed in the state Assembly on 29 December, 2013. “The Delhi Assembly will be convened at Ramlila Maidan on December 29. The Jan Lokpal Bill will be passed in the Delhi Assembly on December 29,” he said. This could be a remote possibility, given it is not easy to demolish the network of patronage and loyalty established political players develop over a long time, but if his party causes even a minor dent it is welcome. It is this network that disconnects politicians from people and makes them complacent. One hated it when he reduced himself to a rabble-rouser during the Lokpal agitation, refusing to yield a bit to entertain, let alone accommodate, arguments against his point of view on the anti-corruption ombudsman. While he and his band of followers were being inflexible to the point of being considered immature and arrogant, his campaign was being completely overtaken by rabid elements with political motives, particularly in the social media. In the ‘you are with us or against us’ paradigm that came to characterise the movement soon, a collapse was only a matter of time. In short, he lost control of the movement by taking its cheerleaders too seriously. One trusted Kejriwal more when he did course correction by launching a political party, which challenged both the Congress and the BJP. He convinced many that he is actually driven by a goal, not by personal ambition. The heartening fact about AAP has been its willingness to work among people and create a surge from below, silently. Noise was a huge problem with the Lokpal movement. The current one is making amends. Kejriwal should consider it a blessing that the social media has lost its earlier interest in him. He could still appear anarchic in his approach — his stand on electricity still defies logic — but going by the present state of disorder in every sphere, a bit of anarchy is acceptable. What he has done so far in Delhi is make people realise their power to change their existential reality. His unstated message: hope. Things need not remain as they are. As the stakeholders in the democracy, people have a right to ask question and demand answers. If that upsets the existing  self-serving arrangement of privileges, so it be. Politics has to make space for people. Perhaps it is not in the interest of the state that the AAP wins — it is still an unknown quantity and its approach may lead to too many confrontations in all spaces. But its presence in the periphery is a strong reminder to the well-entrenched political parties and other vested interests that it cannot be business as usual any more. They have taken people for granted for too long; and there’s someone waiting to spoil their tranquil existence.