Of Vision and Values

With PM Manmohan Singh announcing his resolve to not stand for the third term, already Rahul Gandhi is being touted as the next big Gandhi-Capped White Khadi Hope. But he has yet to prove himself… Narendra Modi appears to have better credentials. However, the reports of his tendency to go beyond the pale of law create unease. Arvind Kejriwal is a quintessential Indian aam aadmi – a family man with strong moral values, walking the straight and narrow… The AAP should develop distinct ideology and vision. This will certainly lend credibility, character and consistency to its image as well as actions.

In order to stay relevant, a political party must formulate policies and programs that encompass the entire range of aspirations of common people and promote national interest in the process. For this, it must set targets and put together ways and means to achieve these. This process requires ideological underpinnings, which in turn makes it imperative to develop a definite vision, which helps in a roadmap’s construction that will take a political party to its pre-decided targets. Increasingly, today’s political parties have stopped remaining true to their ideologies. Secular parties cynically exploit the existing social stratifications for short-term electoral gains. Right wing nationalist outfits never fail to remind us of their ultimate aim of having Akhand Bharat (United India) and yet resort to some of the most dangerous divisive rhetoric and actions, which have the potential to destroy India’s unity. Yet, whenever despair begins to set in something rejuvenating happens. This time, it was Anna Hazare’s reformist movement that facilitated (however unwittingly) the birth of Aam Aadmi Party that not only eschews cynical vote banking but also focuses on secular policies and programs without making a fetish of secularism; it is nationalist without getting jingoistic.   

As dust settles down post-AAP rise in Delhi, it is time to look at the emergent national level political scenario. So far, if one goes by media noise, it was literally a one-horse race as far as the 2014 parliamentary elections were concerned. With the Indian National Congress caught in its own web of political and economic follies, Modi’s ascent to the Prime Minister’s gaddi appeared inevitable. However, the AAP factor is going to force a rethink, impelling a look at new possibilities.

There has been tactile shift in the Narendra Modi camp’s approach, as they frenetically reconfigure their strategy after factoring in the Delhi experience. In the Congress camp too, there has been a marked increase in political kinetics. What with Priyanka Vadra “dropping in” on a political meeting at Rahul Gandhi’s house, as if it was just a social get together. Obviously, more serious issues were on their plate – one of which must be the AAP factor.

Even as the two national parties take stock of the developing situation, common citizens need to have a close look at the options that are unfolding. It would be convenient to focus on individuals touted as the “faces” of the two parties, viz., Narendra Modi for BJP and Rahul Gandhi for INC. But they are only a part of the larger picture consisting of the two parties’ evolution. BJP had been reinventing itself at regular intervals. Starting as a “party with a difference,” it tried to replace the INC as a party that offered platform to variegated worldviews, if not exactly ideologies. So, along with nationalist jingoism we heard of Gandhian Socialism (with nobody in AB Vajpayee’s NDA/BJP explaining its meaning). Later on, it decided to go all out as a modern development oriented party, out to take India to the superpower status (on the way it regressed to ultra nationalism as evidenced the Babri Masjid demolition and the Gujarat riots). It almost reached there, but somehow failed to convince its constituency about its success. The “party with a difference tag” frayed as incidents of infighting and indiscipline increased in number and frequency; its nationalist credentials took some beating, thanks to various corruption scandals of the coffingate type (whatever its truth), not to mention its glaring failure in proving its allegations vis-à-vis the Bofors scandal, among other issues, with which it used to go hammer and tongs after Rajiv Gandhi and, later on, the INC.  In the past decade, it has gradually reinvented itself as a party focused on good governance and development. Its latest offering is ‘Vision 2025.’ Although Modi has been projected as the BJP’s face, it has quite a number of politicians, some of them chief ministers, who have had equally impressive track records in governance as well as economic development. But there are quite a few minus points too. It is not just the Gujarat riots but also the party’s ambivalence vis-à-vis corruption in its ranks. There are quite a few BJP heavyweights caught with their hands in the till. The manner in which it has made up with BS Yeddyurappa in Karnataka has not gone unnoticed. Then there is distinct unease, not just among the country’s minorities and liberals but also among the uncommitted voters, about its cadres’ tendency to resort to strong-arm tactics on issues that are best debated in a democratic and civilized manner; for example, their reaction to Prashant Bhushan’s statement on Kashmir. Nobody in his senses is going to endorse Bhushan’s call for referendums on security related issues – be it AFSPA or any other, but violence is not the response expected in a democratic polity.

That the UPA-2 has been a disaster is taken as a given by political pundits; this despite the fact that the country has not done badly in several fields, especially space and technology. Even the economy has been able to withstand global recession quite well, despite what PM Manmohan Singh’s critics might like us to believe. Yet, the government became dysfunctional and went into the nonperformance mode. This has more to do with the jealousy/insecurity factor. One cannot give any other explanation for the decline in the Manmohan Singh government’s performance levels. Most of his initiatives vis-à-vis economy and governance related reforms were subverted thanks to a combination of hubris, jealousy and insecurities among his colleagues. There was a clear campaign to put him down. Little did they realize that, in the process, the party’s image was becoming sullied and, worse, the country’s interests were severely affected adversely. An economy that was galloping at almost double-digit rates suddenly regressed to the almost Hindu Growth Rate! Surely, there must be some explanation other than the series of alibis trotted out – from global slowdown to unstable West Asia and God knows what else? As if inflation and slowdown were not enough, corruption scandals burst forth like some pestilence, which has not done the INC/UPA any good. 

With Manmohan Singh announcing his resolve to not stand for the third term, already Rahul Gandhi is being touted as the next big Gandhi-capped White Khadi Hope. But he has yet to show promise as a politician or leader of people. On the other hand, Narendra Modi appears to have better credentials for the PM’s post. Personally, he is not corrupt. However, the reports of his tendency to go beyond the pale of law as depicted by the national media in the so-called Snoopgate, does create unease. One does not know how true the reports are, but the fact that these have been circulating for quite a while could prove damaging to Modi’s prospects.  

The AAP, being a newbie, has no such odious baggage from the past. Its members have a clean image and its government in Delhi is showing eagerness to get on with the job. Arvind Kejriwal is a quintessential Indian aam aadmi – a family man with strong moral values, walking the straight and narrow. The AAP leaders know that their actions are being watched with a microscope by skeptics among voters as well as political rivals and observers. Keeping their promises is the only way they can survive and progress as a credible political force. Along with performance on the corruption front, they will have to articulate their vision on several national issues. They cannot go far with borrowed shibboleths from the Left and nationalist slogans from the Right. They will have to make unambiguous vision statement on issues related to the country’s internal and external security. Nobody knows anything about their views on India’s foreign policy. Similarly, they have to come up with a clear-cut economic policy, spelling out their roadmap for the economy’s growth and development. Similarly, they will have to present a comprehensive plan for reforms in various institutions including the police, the judiciary and the education system among others. However, for the moment, it should formulate relevant vision and stick to it. This will certainly lend credibility, character and consistency to its image as well as actions.

Most important, the AAP leaders will have to avoid the pitfalls that inevitably will come their way with every success. We have seen how the rich and the powerful manage to manipulate political parties to serve and promote their interests. The INC and the BJP are already peopled with lobbyists of various corporate houses. In the process, they have strayed from their ideological path. Yet they do not hesitate while scoffing at the AAP for having neither vision nor ideology. Will the Aam Aadmi Party remain the party of the aam aadmi in the future too? This remains to be seen because sticking to high-minded principles is often the toughest task in politics. If the AAP succeeds, India and her democratic credentials win.