Vertigo politics

The unsavoury incident that saw the Centre denying the Delhi CM permission to attend the C40 World Mayors' Summit is being widely criticised as proof of the pettiness of BJP. But, it would appear that the primary reason for this decision was the disease of political vertigo it has been suffering from.

Vertigo is described as a sensation of dizziness and loss of balance, particularly when one looks down from a great height or is caused by disease affecting the inner ear or the vestibular nerve. Political vertigo could be similar dizziness caused by being at great heights, leading to playing out of vertigo politics. Having scaled dizzying political heights in the 2019 elections, BJP leaders must be experiencing a spinning sensation when they look down at several issues waiting for their answers. Bolstering this loss of composure is the resurgence of AAP in Delhi which has remained resilient even after all that has been done for five years to sabotage their governance.

This was the case earlier as well when Kejriwal got the Rs 50,000 crore KG-basin gas-fraud case registered against BJP's crony-capitalist-supporter, Mukesh Ambani or when AAP won 67 out of 70 seats in Delhi. Playing vertigo politics, they began tackling the cause – Kejriwal and AAP, emasculated their powers, created several hurdles through the LG and bureaucracy and withdrew their Anti-Corruption Branch which was being sharpened as promised to people. In a way, in their flamboyance and political naivety, AAP too compounded the problem with their belittling and confrontational approach, little realising that the BJP was succeeding in their plans to get them branded as only 'crying babies'.

But, to their chagrin, as time passed, the novices matured and amended their impulsiveness. The SC judgement in mid-2018, restoring some of their powers came to their rescue. Post-haste, they began taking forward all their innovative plans for the welfare of the people. Now, even the NITI Aayog's Innovation Index places them first among all the states for their innovative initiatives.

Their collective vertigo aggravated, in desperation, the BJP has denied permission to Kejriwal to attend the Denmark Conference saying it was only for mayors and instead permitted the UD Minister of West Bengal. This was despite the fact that the organisers had sent an invite to Kejriwal specifically based on his work in heavily polluted Delhi. Determined, Kejriwal made do through video conferencing and signed significant declarations to achieve targets in a time-bound manner. His confidence is not ill-founded.

The efforts of the AAP government, which spends substantially on combating pollution, have reduced the annual PM 2.5 level by 25 per cent. It has also embarked on a 7-point programme, like creating a task force, subsidies for using CNG and shunning tandoors alongside providing masks to lakhs of people and provision for community Diwali with laser shows. Other initiatives by AAP include a frequent sprinkling of water on roads, delivering free saplings to houses for planting, introducing e-buses, and reducing congestion on roads through the odd-even scheme and free travel of women by public buses and metro.

Detractors may castigate them for squandering public money on freebies but it seems that the 'Income Tax' man in Kejriwal is constantly watchful while he gives sops as a politician. Prudently reducing VAT from 12 to 5 per cent in order to encourage tax-payments, introducing congestion-tax on incoming transport vehicles has allowed the government to double their budget to Rs 60,000 crores. And, with coffers swelling, they have set their priorities — 25 per cent of the budget for education and significant amounts for health, transport, people's safety, etc. And now, by waiving dues and encouraging people to install water meters, the government is trying to scrounge up even more revenue.

It is, however, unfortunate that the national media has failed in its duty to publicise these success stories for emulation elsewhere. Integrity is either being sold or mortgaged. Media is no exception when politicians tell blatant lies on oath, government servants indulge in corrupt practices despite taking an oath of integrity and witnesses crucify justice by speaking untruth in the court on oath.

In the field of education, not only have they constructed many new schools and thousands of classrooms but they have also provided a study-friendly ambience through makeovers of benches, desks, lights, entire interiors, and modern gadgets. They have even devolved financial and decision-making powers to Committees of Heads of schools, teachers and parents to avoid delays. Frequent Parent-Teacher Meetings have become a hit in building confidence. Many of the over one thousand teachers sent abroad for training now act as mentors. Furthermore, special coaching arrangements for weaker students to catch up with the others and for the aspirants for IIT-JEE, NEET, etc., have been made alongside the provision of liberal loans and scholarships for pursuing higher education.

Added to the above is also the soon-to-be-ready 'sports university', with well-equipped facilities which shall be used for promoting sporting excellence and providing academic degrees and even doctorates which would enable sportspersons to compete with other graduates in job-seeking. Yet, little is known outside Delhi about such innovative projects.

BJP, which is aware of such initiatives is peeved because they have nothing to show in their own turn. Although education and health were their core commitments to come to power, budgetary allocation at the Centre has only been shrinking. Apparently, the health of cows takes precedence for the BJP governments while AAP earmarks 12 per cent of their budget for human health.

Yet, thanks to the BJP, the flagship project of AAP for the construction of 1000 mohalla clinics struggled to take off. Land allotment by Centre-controlled DDA, permissions of MCDs led by the BJP and approvals of LG were some of the factors that came in the way. It was only after the SC restored some powers that the progress of work was made steady in order to benefit lakhs of people. These internationally acclaimed facilities are to provide several free medical services, health education, nutritional counselling, etc. In addition to this, the facilities in multi-speciality polyclinics for OPD consultations, multi-speciality Hospitals for IPD care and super-speciality hospitals have been augmented while doubling their bed numbers.

Furthermore, concerned with the annual rate of 1600 deaths due to road accidents in Delhi, the AAP government not only made provisions to help the victims with treatment at government cost in any hospital but are also in the process of constructing a new 362-bed Trauma Centre. Alongside this, they have also invested in more preventive measures such as introducing an app to monitor potholes and have them filled.

Flagging the 'safety' of citizens, especially of women and elderly, the Delhi government has instituted a Women's Commission and are providing 2 lakh sensor-controlled street lights and 3 lakh CCTVs. Since MCDs have declined permissions, people have been advised to get the street lights and CCTVs linked to their own domestic connections with the government paying for both the installation and the subsequent electricity bill. Similarly, they have not only upgraded the infrastructure to ensure 24-hour electric supply and water pipelines to nearly hundred per cent households but are also providing 200 units of electricity and 20,000 litres of water free to each family. Furthermore, after a prolonged tug-of-war with the LG, they have brought down corruption in the concerned departments with door-delivery of rations, certificates, licenses, etc.

AAP is thus, a committed movement in which the hearts of leaders beat for the common man while their inner voice militates against corruption and their body-politic demands democracy. In fact, these concerns of Kejriwal, the architect of Anna Movement, were evident to this author when he conceptualised and co-authored the Jan Lokpal Bill alongside him. It is another matter that all the political parties joined hands to ensure that the mass movement for autonomous Ombudsman was scuttled and just one more effete institution was created. But, they could not kill the spirit of the movement. AAP was born as a result and began flourishing with a robust philosophy — for the common man, for anti-crony-capitalism and for a corruption-free country.

It is this philosophy that has allowed AAP to stand, even when every effort was being made to create fissures with even some leaders leaving the party. And now, with the rudderless Congress in dumps and BJP getting stifled from within, there is a line of leaders and their supporters who wish to join AAP, hoping that it would be the future of the country. Already, Congress leaders like Ajoy Kumar from Jharkhand, four-time MLA Prahlad Singh Sawhney and Razia Sultana have, among many others joined the party. It appears as if AAP winning Delhi again would create an even larger exodus from other parties to AAP.

As astute readers of political developments, Modi and Shah are not unduly worried about a decaying Congress, irrelevant Communists or pigeon-holed regional parties. They are only wary of AAP, a party that runs contrary to the BJP politics of lies, communal divisions, crony media, crony capitalism, abuse of institutions and power. AAP sincerely stands for the common man, honesty, innovation, development and harmony, all of it based on Gandhian principles for devolution of power to people. They are aware that Kejriwal-Sisodia combine and AAP could become their real challengers if they win Delhi again, since AAP movement may regain momentum across the nation. They are also conscious that their vertigo politics would then be of no avail and the disease would likely only subsume their own party.

(Dr N Dilip Kumar is a retired IPS officer and a former Member of Public Grievances Commission, Delhi. Views expressed are strictly personal)