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- iHaveNet.com: Asia Current Events
by Siddharth Varadarajan
Crusade Against Cronyism Shaking Up India's Political Landscape
The rise of Arvind Kejriwal, mango man
Opinions are divided about what exactly the
Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of
Confounding pollsters, Kejriwal's AAP helped dislodge the
Indian politics has seen the spectacular rise of parties in the past but what makes the AAP different is the span of its geographical and political reach. It is neither regional like N.T. Rama Rao's
The AAP's origins lie in a single issue that troubles all Indians, whether poor, middle class or wealthy -- corruption. And the party's leadership has broadened the ambit of this issue by focusing on the wider set of factors that have led to money-making and rent-seeking on a colossal scale. Kejriwal has made the link between crony capitalism and institutional reform, pushing for structural changes and transparency in public institutions, especially those dealing with law enforcement.
Of course, the party's ability to push through the kind of changes it envisages remains largely untested. The short-lived provincial government AAP ran in Delhi began decisively with the implementation of populist promises to provide cheap water and electricity. However, Kejriwal and his colleagues were unable to contain the irrational exuberance of their supporters and found themselves pushed into a series of misadventures against the police.
Though vibrant AAP units have sprouted all across India, the rapid spread of the party poses a challenge for its leadership: how to stay on message while maintaining its image as a vehicle for 'clean' people to involve themselves in politics. This is where the party's strength, its ability to attract people with a diverse set of concerns, is a source of potential weakness.
The truth is that there is no ideological cohesion and it is very difficult to define what the party stands for except in tautological terms. Kejriwal has gone out of his way to avoid the party being labelled left wing or right wing. Another AAP leader, the political scientist Yogendra Yadav, has spoken of 'post-ideological politics', a phrase that has made India's traditional Left wary. In reality, the AAP appears consciously to be embracing the rhetoric -- if not the actual platform -- of the Left in its effort to portray both the
During AAP's brief 49-day rule in Delhi -- Kejriwal was Chief Minister of the citystate with
AAP leaders have since gone on to blame the 'fall' of their government on Ambani, claiming that both the
In targeting the cronyism that masquerades as politics and private enterprise in India, the AAP has tapped into a wellspring of public support. But it also places the party in the sights of some of the country's biggest business houses. The reason is not because Indian industry fears the kind of policies AAP might pursue -- as things stand there is no question of Kejriwal being part of, let alone leading, the next government -- but because its emergence has queered the pitch for the BJP and its prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi.
It is no secret that India's corporate sector is rooting for Modi in the hope that he will run a 'decisive, business-friendly' administration, one in which the trains will run on time. Business leaders such as Ambani, boss of
Modi needs 272 MPs in a House of 543, and a sizable chunk of that will have to be from his own party if his government is to be reasonably stable. At the best of times, the federalized nature of Indian politics makes that goal a difficult one to achieve but this time the BJP has Kejriwal to contend as well. The AAP is expected to put up a decent fight in the 200 urban and semi-urban constituencies that Modi needs to win if he wants to become Prime Minister. And in at least 50 seats, the AAP could either win outright or take away substantial anti-
As the election campaign gets underway, the BJP will probably find itself devoting more time and energy to countering the Kejriwal party's challenge, especially in those states which have hitherto seen two-party contests between the
Siddharth Varadarajan, formerly Editor of The Hindu, is a Senior Fellow at the
Available at Amazon.com:
Getting Away with Murder: Benazir Bhutto's Assassination and the Politics of Pakistan
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Article: Copyright ©, Chatham House Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
Crusade Against Cronyism Shaking Up India's Political Landscape