Month: December 2013

The Post ‘Sickularism’ Age is finally here

Today Modi rocked Mumbai. Being a Mumbaikar I felt the energy of Bandra Kurla Complex through the airwaves in far away cold Gurgaon. I felt the gap in Left of Centre Politics in India as well. The syntax can be termed as Leadership which is not aloof. The High Command Culture of Lutyens Delhi was breached earlier this month by a civil society activist Kejriwal. Kejriwal’s politics is very much left of centre especially its economic populism. But there is a difference- Kejriwal’s vocabulary consists of a connect with the urban poor. He won the trophy constituency of New Delhi beating Sheila Aunty by a large margin.  The Aam Admi Party is scripting a new narrative for urban metropolitan politics in this country. Accountability, Inclusive Governance, Proactive Leadership are adjective-verbs that are currently appropriated by the Right in India and now by the Aam Admi Party. The ethos of a strong technocratic Developmental State is the edifice of Modi’s Politics. Raman Singh’s Chhattisgarh uses Welfare very effectively too. The core plank of Congress’s Politics is Welfare centric. I am a supporter of Entitlement Legislations as it is often the last resort of the extreme poor.  But Welfare needs a robust infrastructure to deliver value to the costumers. We live in the era of a Client-State Relationship. The legislations have to deliver on the ground. Ofcourse the lessons of governance are iterative, they take time for the results to emerge on the central dashboard of the media monitors.  The loss in Rajasthan has shown that Welfare is not a magic bullet. Strong Leadership matters in the atmosphere of policy paralysis.

Congress’s other political Killer App is secularism. Unfortunately, this is a pejorative word with a negative connotation. This means minority-ism and vote bank politics. The introduction of the communal violence bill is not the reform legislation that’s top priority anyways. The Lok Pal Act is a victory for the civil society and not for Rahul ji as it was a reactive measure. 

Secularism isn’t panacea. The Politics of Pluralism has a wider appeal. Arun Shourie should take a workshop for the friends from the Left. Regional Leaders are strong leaders. A Nitish and a Jayalalitha ji are perceived as leaders who have a mass base unlike a Scindia.

The Liberal Left has to realise that Developmentalism and Strong Leadership is the need of the hour rather  rhetoric on communalism. Modi and Kejriwal are metaphors for clean and development based politics. The Congress needs more Jairam and Pilot than Gehlot and Jogi.

A Pluralism+Development+StrongLeadership approach. Is it that difficult Rahulji?

A Year in Reflection (A Quick One)

#2013Review: Has been a quirky year. The year i moved jobs and cities. Setbacks galore; innovation is a deeply reflective process. I have received more criticism than any other year in my life. Have been a patient of bouts of soul searching many a time and loneliness. Traveled like crazy from Sariska, Rajasthan to Anantapur and Bangalore in January to two months on site in April/May to Sangli in July. A Planning Commission Seminar presentation in January to Al Jazeera Debate Appearance in October to France 24 English gig in November. A whole tour of coastal Tamil Nadu in November too,  to cap it off.  Three trips to Calcutta to add. Arab Street and Vivo City, Singapore, Singapore two times this year to meet the people i care about. Miss you Guys.  Lets hope 2014 enables all to fulfill ones calling professionally, personally and spiritually.  Blessed Festive Season Friends.

Why the Political Start Up called AAP is changing the political narrative in India

The emergence of the Aam Admi Party (AAP) as a viable alternative in the urban political culture of Delhi after the electoral results are out, is akin to nothing short of a small budget documentary film winning an Oscar. The author, director and narrator of the script are the indomitable Arvind Kejriwal  & Co, who trounced the erst while Delhi Chief Minister by a big margin. The party that metamorphosed from the India Against Corruption aka Jan Lok Pal Movement. This break out victory gives AAP the energy to rise above the circumstantial moral authority of the saint from Ralegaon Siddhi- Anna Hazare and the NGO-esque mold. It gives the middle class leadership of AAP the critical to expand to a role to fill in the vacuum of being a proper urban political platform for India. Normal people, next door neighbour type of personalities being elected to assembly is a brilliant thing for representative democracy.  AAP is a political start up from Delhi that has potential for a scale across urban centres.  The biggest fall out, will the re-energising of the urban youth to take interest in participatory democracy. As I read somewhere on Facebook- ‘Greater Kailash gives lessons in Democracy 101 to South Bombay’ captures the energy of the moment. The push to move beyond social media platforms to actually working on the ground is a monumental game changer.

There are more political start ups that are reshaping the terrain of Indian Democracy. The Peace Party, The Welfare Party and AUDF are contesting for the taken for granted Muslim Vote. I welcome the rise of newer players to represent minority communities.  Maharashtra Navnirman Sena may not be new as it has its roots in the five decade old Sena Movement in Mumbai, but it seems the larger than life image of Raj Saheb has enthused the Marathi youth to look beyond the status quo.

The other major political start up of the educated classes in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka is the Lok Satta Party of Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan, a MLA from Kutapally in Andhra Pradesh. This is again a NGO converted in to a political outfit.  The outfit could potentially be an ally of the AAP in the South, where the linguistic barrier could be a deterrent for expansion.

The Political Start Up is a blend of two factors- a strong personality brand and approachability uncharacteristic of the main political parties. I was a sceptic of the AAP, but its direct approach is an attractive draw.  More Power to the Urban Politics of the AAP.