The people of Delhi have voted for a new government amidst the cross fire of controversy over the falling economy and the protests over the CAA. Delhi with 70 seats and only about 4 million voters is about less than 2% of the Indian electorate. The strategic location and cosmopolitan nature of the capital region is certainly a great measuring rod indicative of the mood of the nation. Though the national capital is in the Hindi belt, unlike other states, Delhiites having better living conditions. Caste factor plays little role. The agricultural distress in neighbouring states has created a new immigrant class in Delhi – the urban poor who do not live in abject poverty unlike the other BIMARU states. After the result of Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Haryana, Delhi could send a different signal to country from the 2019 mandate.
After a clean sweep of all the seven seats in the general election in 2019 with a overwhelming 57% vote share and with AAP finishing in a third place, trailing behind Congress; BJP was a clear front-runner but the pollsters has put them in a place of underdog with their chances depending only upon the consolidation of the votes based on religion.
Though pollsters have predicated a comfortable win for Arwind Kejriwal’s AAP, the BJP campaign revolving around Shaheen Bhag has made it extremely vicious and most reckless communal campaign in the history of Indian politics. The 2013 Khabristan – Shamshan Ghaat UP campaign of the PM pales into insignificance if we go into the desperate ‘goli maro’ -‘Biryani’ political drama launched to polarize the Delhi electorate like never before. The limited 72-hour ban imposed on the Union Minister Anurag Thakur who spear headed the ‘goli maaro’ slogans and another MP Pravesh Varma who also faced the ban for ferociously disparaging remarks against Muslims was given a pride of honour in Parliament: He moved the motion of thanks to the president’s address. The clear indication is – to hell with niceties!
The AAP campaign revolved around so called welfare model against the development Delhi had seen during the Sheila Diksit regime. Zero water bill upto 2000 units of monthly consumption, zero electricity bill upto 200 units of monthly consumption and subsidies for those who consume upto 400 units, free travel in DTC buses for women, better facilities in school education and health care, no fee hike in school has given the required push to the AAP. No doubt the AAPs has positioned its five years rule based on populism and freebies. AAP has fielded highest number of candidates with criminal record compared to BJP and Congress.
AAP has it’s own failings – the party is steeped in supremo culture, not very healthy for a democracy. The strategic silence on Shaheen Bhag and a very ambivalent stand on CAA is not what was expected from a party like AAP. Their silence on Jamia Millya and JNU is deafening. In recent months as the elections drew close, AAP even supported the government’s move on Article 370 in Kashmir, probably to capture the space vacated by the Congress party. Arvind Kejriwal who would is used to hold dharnas at the drop of a hat, in a deliberate public relation exercise has taken a ‘politically correct’ stand but certainly not a progressive one. AAP’s singular focus on winning elections has kept it away from Shaheen Bhag and not standing up with the people. Imagine the country’s fate in present times if Sonia Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee and Sharad Pawar take such positions. We may go the Israel way!
Despite all reservations and in view of the Congress having abdicated the scene, at a time when the young of the country are in up against the central government and the world is looking at India differently with the European union parliament set to debate on various policies of the Indian government ranging from CAA to Article 370 and Seattle Council with a strong support of the members of the Indian diaspora passing a resolution condemning CAA, a victory for the BJP in Delhi, at this crucial stage a BJP victory would be perceived as mandate to continue dismantling the republic. The votes are sought in Delhi in the name of the PM it would also be a great personal moral booster.
A victory for the BJP would also be perceived as an endorsement of hate speech, hatred and vicious propaganda unleashed on the Delhi electorate through the slogans like ‘desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro saalon ko’. A clear indication would go that irrespective of the performance of the government such below the belt tactics bring dividends!
The violence unleashed on Jamiya Miliya and paid thugs set on JNU students cannot go unpunished. It is in that context a BJP victory would be seen a victory for that kind of lumpen politics. The failure of the opposition to come together and give a united fight with a PM face acceptable to the country in 2019 polls, has been clearly misunderstood as a mandate to run rough shod over the niceties of constitution and constitutionalism.
As the opposition stands crushed the resistance to the destruction of the very idea of India is led by the civil society. A BJP victory would be a clear threat to India’s democratic fabric and endanger health of our republic. It may be political expediency to expect the defeat of BJP, despite the failings of AAP, but the fact is ‘goli maaro’ gang must be shown the door.
The tiny state has got a historical opportunity to determine the future course of our democracy, power in Delhi is only incidental.
(The writer is practicing advocate, senior faculty in law and political analyst)
