Across the Aisle: Lessons for all in the Delhi election

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By P Chidambaram

There is a lesson for everyone in the Delhi election.

The Winner: In the campaign, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) avoided theatrics and played with a politically straight bat, remained focused on “bijli, paani and sadak” (electricity, water and roads), and connected with voters belonging to all classes. Ingovernment, the people of Delhi will expect the AAP to avoid theatrics and play with a straight bat. Good and bad ideas will come the AAP’s way, and there are many of both kinds in their manifesto.

The Jan Lokpal, unified transport authority, free Wi-Fi, more schools and colleges, guaranteed education loans, e-rickshaws and some others are good ideas. Halving electricity bills and making Delhi a manufacturing hub are examples of ideas that are half-baked or plain bad.

Mr Kejriwal’s biggest problem is the problem of plenty. Seven of the 67 MLAs will become ministers and one the Speaker. How will he keep the remaining members empowered, engaged and on the straight and narrow path?

I sincerely hope that Mr Kejriwal will realise the limitations of the Delhi government and its budget and deliver on his promises one by one. He will make a great beginning if he announces at his swearing-in that, for five years, he will not step out of the boundaries of Delhi — for pleasure or for politics!

The Runner-Up: Strictly speaking, there was no runner-up. We could have called the BJP the Best Loser but for the fact that it made a hash of losing the election. The problem started with the slogan Chalo Chalein Modi ke Saath. People asked, “Go where?”. If the BJP worker is honest, she will admit that Mr Modi had made — and continues to make — a number of attractive promises but has not taken the country anywhere near the promised land. Not one Bill of consequence has been passed, not one major scheme has been rolled out, and not one policy initiative has impacted the lives of the people. The kindest comment that one could make is that the BJPgovernment is still in the first year of its term.

There were many people who had queered the pitch for the BJP. Among them were Mr Mohan Bhagwat (“one language, one god, one religion”), Mr Sakshi Maharaj (“four children”) and Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti (“haramzaadon”). During the campaign,more joined the diatribe tribe calling Mr Kejriwal “anarchist”, “thief”, “monkey” and “liar”.

What people noticed and resented was not so much the name-calling but the silence of the Prime Minister in the wake of the outbursts, campaigns and attacks that not only targeted 

 

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