Arvind Kejriwal is gone. And my
impression is that he's gone for good. If elections were to be held again in
Delhi, it is unlikely the people of Delhi will vote for him. Why would they? Their
proud city, which boasts the best infrastructure in the country and the fastest
growing economy, has suddenly been put on a steep downslide; a slippery slope from
which recovery will be difficult if it continues for even a little longer.
If Delhiites were to introspect,
they would realize that they really had nothing to complain about from their state
government. Sure, they may have had complaints with the Central government, but
their own local government had done fabulous work. After 15 years of continous
and rapid progress, Delhi had finally overtaken Mumbai as the place where the
most corporate action happened. It sported the best airport, the best metro,
smooth-as-Hema-Malini's-cheeks-roads (!), the best education system, and
importantly, the biggest jobs market. Delhi's economy grew at an average of 10%
per annum - a China-like rate, and higher even than the much tomtommed Gujarat
rate of growth - and brought enormous prosperity to its people. Not
surprisingly, Delhi's per-capita income was the highest in the country,
crossing the Rs 2 lacs/annum mark.
Sure, Delhi had its problems,
many of them monumental. As happens in all developing countries, the economic
growth created a huge influx of migrants from the relatively backward parts of
the country. Sharing borders with UP meant that that influx was particularly
easy from that state. The migrants created a block of 60 lac slum dwellers, and
a whole lot of illegal JJ (jhuggi jhopri) clusters. It also led to an increase
in crime, especially against women. Delhi picked up the reputation of being the
rape capital of the country, making its people seethe with anger. What do angry
people do? Lose their sanity, and attack the first object that comes in front
of them - usually the government of the day.
That's when Kejriwal got into the
act. The timing was perfect. When he railed against Sheila Dixit, he looked
like a messiah, a contrast much like the one people are seeing betwen an
uncouth, dictatorial Modi and a too-decent, democratic Manmohan Singh. Kejriwal
used the language of the gutters, and attracted that lot to his fold. But
surprisingly, he also attracted the educated, the well-off, the same ones who
had benefited the most in the previous 15 years, perhaps as a result of anger
against the Central government. Kejriwal's success was thus one of timing; his
exit from the scene will also be one of the same. 49 days of Kejriwal must
surely have made Delhiites bitter. A yearning for the "good old days"
must surely have returned.
Does the BJP offer a progressive
alternative to Sheila Dixit? No it doesn't. For remember, that much as the BJP today
abuses Kejriwal for his 50% cuts in power prices, it too had promised an
almost-similar 30% cut in tariffs. And much as it abuses Kejriwal that he
doesn't know that the regulator sets the tariffs, not the government, it too
made exactly the same promise. How can people demand that power tariffs come
down on the one hand, and at the same time, also demand that every resource (coal,
land, water) be auctioned to the highest bidder? People may not understand economics,
but the BJP should. Yet, it made the same offer that AAP did.
Again, like AAP, the regressive
BJP also opposed FDI in retail. Imagine a day when a Delhiite would have to go
to Gurgaon to shop at Walmart or Tesco, while a Mumbai resident would just hop
across to one close by. The BJP's opposition is purely opportunistic. For I
cannot imagine Gujarat not allowing Walmart, when lacs of Gujjus in the US do
most of their value-shopping there. If BJP has its way, then young Delhiites
with a dream to move up the social ladder should not work in smart retail outlets, but in "baniya" kirana
shops. This is the vision of this party. It protects the baniyas....the same
guys who have caused much of the price inflation in food and vegetables. If
Delhiites want relief from inflation, they must throw out the baniya-supporting
BJP.
Apart from all this, Delhi has
always enjoyed a certain liberal culture. People from all parts of the country
live here. All cultures find acceptance. There are the ultra-chic fashion
shows, as well as the ultra-ethnic Dilli-hart option. The republic-day parade,
with its pan-India look and feel is one thing; the everyday parade of
culturally diverse people is another. How can such a throbbing and vibrant population
vote for a party that believes in 17th century bigotry (Section 377, remember)
and the monopoly of one-religion (Hindutva is nothing but Hindu domination) and
caste (brahmins)?
The BJP is wrong for Delhi. It is
wrong for India. But in a moment of heat, Delhiites made a big mistake in
November last year. It's time to undo that mistake. For Delhi to remain modern
and liberal, it needs a modern and liberal government, and the only one that
fits the bill is a Congress government. The Congress has its own problems, but
it's the still the best of the lot.
The real truth is that
Delhiites got taken in by the political rhetoric of Kejriwal and made the
blunder of voting for him. I hope they don't now swing towards the other evil -
the BJP - and make another blunder. Delhiites must push the "pause"
button, even rewind if necessary, and think of what brought their city glory in
the last 15 years. It's still not to late to make amends....
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