The
common men, the public of the Republic
Okay,
even if doubts have crept in about how central to their plans the ‘aam aadmi’ (the
common man) is going to be in reality, the political parties are forced to look
pro-common man, and it is unlike any time, at least after the JP Movement of
1970s.
And
there looks an unusual likeness for it, a feeling that should be loved; a
feeling that should be hoped to be the sustained one.
The
ramblings are creating saints and sentient thinkers out of the politicians, of
all types, after the Aam Aadmi Party’s stunning performance in the Delhi
So, an
Arvind Kejriwal’s government, that is in imminent danger of falling short of
being ‘aam’ (common) for the ‘aam aadmi’, is forced to look and sound even more
‘aam’ and it tries to symbolise its concern by not accepting the palatial
government accommodations (though unwillingly), by spending crores to let the public
be the part of its power show during its government’s inauguration, by getting
a rickshaw-puller inaugurate a hospital, though none of its ministers including
the most special ‘aam’ among them, Arvind Kejriwal, come forward to offer any
explanation on dozens of deaths due to cold in the Delhi government run night
shelters.
So,
even if the ‘aam aadmi’ remains a compromised political currency, the
difference this time is, he has forced the political parties (both, routinely
political and newly political) to take notice of him, to talk about him, to
accept the symbolism of his power.
So, a
faltering AAP is trying to sustain its momentum.
So, the
others, including Rahul Gandhi’s Congress and Narendra Modi’s BJP, they all are
trying to gain the ‘aam aadmi’ momentum.
‘Aam
Aadmi’ has never been so central to the political campaigning.
But, to
what extent it makes for the elements of a sensible process of change? Only
time will tell.
The
worrying part is the cracks have started to appear.
Yes, it
is premature and foolhardy to think that this acceptance of the ‘power of the
symbolism of the aam aadmi’ would lead to some immediate breakthrough in the
mode of political functioning in the country.
It
needs to evolve. An overnight crash course in anarchy is not going to help.
©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com/
