The news coming out of the Aam Aadmi Party at the moment can only be termed sad and unfortunate. Thousands of people saw a ray of hope in this party not because of any individual, but because of the values and vision it espoused. They felt that here is a political party in which they had a real stake. Ever since the AAP joined electoral fray in the 2013 Delhi Assembly elections, they have been making all the right noise: against corruption, not accepting benami donations, putting all contributions and names of the contributors on the website, a transparent process of distribution of tickets, not indulging in VIP culture, mohalla sabhas, giving local people a say in decisions on developmental work, and the list can go on. The fundamental idea behind all these is a more democratic way of functioning both within the party and in the government, the culmination of which is supposed to be the Swaraj that Kejriwal has talked about on many occasions. This kindled hopes and dreams that many of us had given up. This also generated new hopes and new dreams that the citizens of this country had never had. Team AAP looked like a coherent bunch of dedicated people, many of whom have made great sacrifices, to make these dreams a reality.
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As is bound to happen in any organization, there were clear differences in the personal views of the members of the party. Prashant Bhushan was clearly of a more liberal type than people like Arvind himself. Bhushan, for example, has expressed his support for a plebiscite in Kashmir, which even drew the wrath of some right-wing elements. Arvind has always been more hawkish on issues of nationality and national security. In spite of these differences, they seem to be working together for a more just, democratic and egalitarian politics, government and society in the face of constant onslaught by neo-liberal economics and right-wing politics. And who else has articulated this stand of the AAP better than Yogendra Yadav! In debates in the TV studios, both in Hindi and English, on the streets, in newspaper articles and other fora, he has constantly and relentlessly articulated the views and position of the AAP on many issues, making clear their stand against neo-liberal policies of the past and the present governments, and communalization of politics. I have no hesitation in admitting that his writings and statements have played a big role in my faith in the policies and goals of the AAP.
All that is crumbling down. And with the ouster of Yadav and Bhushan from the PAC, the process seems to be complete. But things looking as bleak as they do, I would still like to hold hope and believe that AAP will come out of the crisis, and be the party it has promised to be. This is because these dreams are too precious to be let go of so easily. Globally, progressive values are under assault. Be it Russia, Turkey or India, there is a rise of personality cult, religious right and intolerance of the `other’. Add to these the neo-liberal economic policies. Anything can be sacrificed in alter of growth and profit. In this global backdrop, AAP has risen suddenly in the political horizon as a party that has attempted to defy all the traditional logics and arguments of electoral politics in india. It has never appealed to religious or sectoral emotions while asking for votes, it has crowdsourced electoral funding so that while in power it is answerable to the average citizen rather than to the big corporations. In its first stint in Delhi, it has gone after the big companies to protect the interests of the average citizen.
Commendable and revolutionary as these are, a section of the top leadership of AAP seems to believe (as suggested by their statements in the media) that politics is all about solving power or water problems in Delhi. They seem to work in a post-ideological era with a mindset that considers (any) ideology more as a hindrance to one’s ability to solve problems than of any practical value. To me this ultra-pragmatism borders on opportunism, the difference is razor-thin. If you cannot take considered stands on a broad range of issues affecting the society and the nation, you are not a political party. Here, I, and many like me, saw AAP as a real hope which could become the `principal and principled’ opposition to the right-wing, neo-liberal onslaught on our values.
Take the example of AAP’s failed attempt to fight the 2014 general elections and to make a national mark. Sure they could win only four seats, and could muster only ~2% of votes, but they really made a mark. They could effectively put forward their pro-common man political position by putting up candidates such as Medha Patkar and Soni Sori. I still remember Yadav articulating the AAP’s views about politics for the aam aadmi, aam aurar and the antim insan. The sheer fact that people like Patkar and Sori were given a political platform was a big step forward in bringing the issues they have been fighting for on the platform of political mainstream. And the 2% vote share, in proper perspective, is no mean achievement in the context of the 2014 elections that saw a huge Modi wave. Many well-established political parties managed to garner much smaller vote share.
On the issue of secularism, AAP broke new grounds. They discarded the old minority vote-bank political rhetoric of `vote for us and we will save you from riots’. They gave a new meaning to the word by not being dismissive of religion, but rather raising their political discourse above that of the religious divide. They attempted to place secularism not on the borrowed ideas from the west that the liberals have tried to do so long, but by placing faith in the religious tolerance that our traditional society has. AAP is one party that brought back the positive connotation the word secularism should have in our constitutional political discourse.
The outcome of the present crisis, therefore, is of utmost importance to all of us who saw new hope in the AAP. And this is not just because it claimed to practice `clean politics’, but also because it was an important, positive political force with the potential to restore democratic values in politics and government in a global context. Success of its core values in practice can have far-reaching consequences not just in India, but across national boundaries. It will be a real tragedy if the likes, dislikes or ego of one person, or a few surrounding him, are allowed to destroy the promise the party holds.
Therefore, having invested my time, emotional energy and money into the AAP, I feel I (and everybody in my position) have a stake in its success. It is as much my party as that of Kejriwal, Yadav or Bhushan. Our dreams are too important and too precious to let them die so early.
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