The new chief minister of Delhi clearly feels most comfortable when he is in the middle of an adoring crowd, but even some of his ‘blind supporters’ seem to be getting a bit impatient of his ‘gestures’ and ‘symbolic steps’. A facebook supporter of Arvind Kejriwal this week reminded him of the difference between “hard sell” and “over sell” as also between a “supporter” and a “blind supporter”. The ‘friend’ appeared exasperated over Kejriwal and his team’s incessant digs at ‘others’ and went on to say that now that he had won ‘that argument’, he should move on.
Kejriwal, for example, had the option of driving his own car to the Ram Lila Maidan to be sworn in as the new chief minister of Delhi. He could also have taken a ride in an autorickshaw or taken a bus. He, however, chose to take the Metro. Whatever dictated the choice, the desire to cement his ‘aam aadmi’ (common man) status is unmistakable — a desire that also dictated the choice of the sprawling Ram Lila Maidan for the oath-taking ceremony, stretching the ritual to something far beyond Constitutional requirement. And of course making it a far more expensive affair in terms of security and ‘bandobast’ (arrangement).
The only reservation, however, one can possibly have with that choice is the fact that Kejriwal is heading a fragile and vulnerable minority government. And given the fact that his party did not get an absolute majority in the Delhi Assembly, and also that it could well be short-lived, a more sober, short and business-like swearing-in ceremony would have been in order rather than another triumphant exhibition of people power. I would have felt much better if Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had held a public rally after completing a year in office. I hasten to add that the choice does make perfect political sense. It is symbolic and few would grudge AAP the opportunity to do a bit of chest-thumping and remind people how shabbily they had been treated by the Congress barely two years ago and of course the distance it has travelled since then. Politically it made sense to turn the event into a triumphant show and involve the ‘aam aadmi’ or the common man in what is undoubtedly a historic milestone in India’s political history.
But how long will this government last is a question that has no easy answer. I will not be surprised if the AAP government defies odds and remains long enough in the saddle to prove soothsayers wrong. While AAP MLAs may not mind going back to the electorate, other MLAs, one suspects, will not be so keen for another election just yet. Certainly not the eight Congress MLAs. One can never be sure what they may do even if the party’s push turns to shove and they are asked to vote against the government. In the short run, both Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party stand to lose a lot more if they are held responsible for the government’s collapse. The two national parties would also be hoping that the inexperience of AAP gets exposed and the government loses its popularity over a period of time.
But how long will AAP itself like its government to last? One can trust Kejriwal to resign at the first dead-end he encounters. While he will hope that it will reinforce his claim that he is not anxious to cling to power and add to the halo that is already around him, the risk he would run is to also reinforce the suspicion that AAP is ill-prepared to govern.
In any case, the first few weeks will show whether he wants to last in office or not. If he does rake up contentious issues in the first few weeks in office, it will most certainly be for atmospherics and for preparing the ground for a fresh election — likely to be held along with the general elections this year. If he does resist that temptation, it will indicate a willingness to make the best of a bad bargain, learn the ropes and pave the ground for a more meaningful change in the system.
One also wishes that he had resisted the temptation to set a time-frame for fulfilling his party’s poll promises. There is already considerable confusion over AAP’s poll promise of supplying 700 litres of water free and a 50 per cent reduction in electricity tariff. It would not have made much difference if he had implemented the promises over the next few months. But he seems to be a vain enough politician to put such store by deadlines and speed in honouring promises to the public, reminiscent of rulers who enjoyed unbridled power in a far less complicated world.
There is also some apprehension of Kejriwal getting embroiled in controversies, given his obsession with honesty worn on his sleeves. A case in point is his appeal to “honest officers” to approach him for assignments and to rat on others. While the bureaucracy ought to be faceless, there would be many who would like to be seen as aligned to the new ruling party. The new chief minister has made it even more difficult for honest officers who prefer to remain faceless. If they approach the chief minister for postings, it will set a bad precedent; and if they don’t, they may be seen like a dishonest lot.
Above all, Kejriwal will be watched very closely to see if his populism gets the better of him. While his detractors expect him to announce a slew of welfare programmes and add to the public expenditure, his supporters expect him to act more wisely. An increase in public expenditure in India has almost always led to high leakages, emergence of brokers and little benefit to people at large.
But if he can deliver on his promise of making the administration more transparent, accountable and efficient, he will be breaking free from the past and still be left with enough funds for welfare projects. Delhi being essentially a city state, there is great opportunity to turn around the administration and ensure good public transport, education, universal health and medical care. Just as he has promised to take on the ‘water tanker mafia’, one would wait to see his government deliver on his promise of affordable housing and crack down on the ‘real estate mafia’.
AAP has re-written the rules of electoral politics in India. One waits to see if it can re-write the rules of governance as well.
Uttam Sengupta is a deputy editor of ‘Outlook’, New Delhi.
