Headlines
Amid grim challenges, AAP rises from the ashes
New Delhi, Feb 4
For a party that was written
off after its humiliating rout in the Lok Sabha election, the Aam Aadmi
Party's (AAP) has seen a spectacular renewal ahead of the Delhi assembly
polls. Irrespective of who actually wins the Saturday battle, the AAP
is giving sleepless nights to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), just
nine months after the latter easily won all seven parliamentary seats in
the national capital.
BJP leaders admit that the AAP is giving
them a tough fight all over the city, with some pre-poll surveys
stunningly giving the AAP more vote share than the BJP. With the
Congress relegated to an also ran in the election, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi has made former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's AAP the
prime target in his speeches.
And in what is being seen as a sign
of nervousness, the BJP has roped in more than 120 MPs, several cabinet
ministers as well as chief ministers and legislators from other states
to campaign in Delhi.
This was not the case when it fought
elections recently in Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand where the "Modi
magic" did wonders.
Both for the BJP, which has had a presence in
Delhi for decades, and the AAP, which was born only in 2012, this is a
do-or-die election.
The BJP needs to win it at all costs to prove
that Modi's magic will help reverse the hung verdict of December 2013
that propped up Kejriwal's AAP into office with Congress backing - for
49 tumultuous days.
When Kejriwal resigned in February 2014, the
BJP derisively branded him a "bhagoda" (quitter). And when all but four
of the hundreds of AAP candidates were routed in the Lok Sabha election
last year, he was dubbed a failed leader with no future.
In a few
remarkable months, Kejriwal and the AAP have bounced back deftly in a
manner that even RSS mouthpiece Organiser has cautioned the BJP not to
take the AAP challenge slightly.
AAP election rallies attract
large crowds. Kejriwal, who poses himself as a messiah of the poor, is
at his aggressive best, targeting Modi over his Lok Sabha election
promises and some BJP leaders for making controversial comments.
The other AAP speaker who holds crowds spellbound is Bhagwant Mann, an MP from Sangrur in Punjab.
Several factors seem to have helped the AAP to grow exponentially in Delhi.
One
factor helping it, particularly among the poor, is its 2013 decision to
slash power rates and make water virtually free. Even AAP critics admit
that routine bribery virtually disappeared when Kejriwal was the chief
minister.
Instead of moaning, the AAP quietly spread its wings
all across Delhi after the Lok Sabha setback, establishing new cells
particularly in low-income areas and urban villages.
The AAP also began planning for the Delhi election months ahead of both the BJP and the Congress.
The
controversial utterances of some BJP leaders on religious issues
appears to have pushed Muslims and Christians to back the AAP after
ditching the Congress.
Modi's punishing work schedule has not
gone down well with government staff. Many among them feel the only way
to hit back is to vote for the AAP.
The decisions to make
students listen to the prime minister's speech on Teacher's Day (Sep 5)
and declare Dec 25 as Good Governance Day, initially sparking fears that
Christmas was being dropped from the holiday list, created resentment
even among those who voted for Modi last year.
And the move to
make Kiran Bedi, India's first woman police officer, the BJP's chief
ministerial candidate created unrest in the party - and seems to have in
no way unnerved the AAP.
After realizing that their own party is in shambles, many traditional Congress supporters have decided to back the AAP.
Finally,
on top of the limited middle class support it has, the AAP is receiving
support from those who feel that BJP leaders have grown arrogant after
taking power in May 2014.
To sum it up, the AAP is a strong contender for power, giving the BJP a run for its money.
(M.R. Narayan Swamy can be contacted at [email protected] )