Herald: In the backdrop of the Aam Aadmi Party victory in Delhi, do you think there is a space for alternative politics in Goa?
Tripathi: My answer would be yes and no. Yes it is possible in Goa, because the catchment area is small so by way of getting people together, by convincing them on certain issue and by way of communality of interest, things are very immediate here. It is much easier for people to identify themselves with issues that have an immediate bearing – corruption, garbage, environment. If there was a place for that kind of alternative politics in India, it should have been Goa itself.
Herald: But you also said no.
Tripathi:I said no, because I feel that the smallness of the place sometimes becomes the biggest disadvantage. While the catchment area is so small you have a lot of overlapping affiliations, interests of people who may believe in identifying with a particular cause at one particular moment but then when it comes to another issue they may feel that they want to align with the other.
Personality factors also play a role in Goan politics.
Between these two extreme positions – my yes and my no – I think there is a possibility for an issue-based consensus political alternative in Goa. There can’t be a consensus on issues in Goa, but there can be a consensus on a particular issue in Goa.
So if a particular formation can decide on a particular issue which can have a bearing on other issues, I think it can be done. I think there are enough right-minded people in Goa to bring about this change.
Herald: The alternative politics we are seeing is of activism moving into the political arena. How does it affect the political system?
Tripathi: Taking the Delhi situation into consideration, at one point AAP was clear that they are not there to win elections, but to convey the message that there is a group of people with an alternative kind of politics and there are certain values that they will stand up to.
If this can force mainstream political parties to think twice and put up candidates with a clean background, that itself will be a victory.
If you have such a consensus where the candidates have nothing negative in their past, I think the first step will have been taken.
Herald: Given that Delhi’s population is highly cosmopolitan and Goa’s is still more rooted to the land, would the aspirations of the electorate be different?
Tripathi:I would like to presume that it would be different. I think the average level of satisfaction that one would have, leave aside the most marginal groups, in terms of basic standards of living, here it is much better. But perhaps the aspirational levels in Delhi were much higher. But if I look at the level of mobilization that took place during the GBA movement there is the possibility of such galvanization again here.
Herald: Do you think that there is a certain amount of disillusionment in politics is creeping in?
Tripathi: I don’t think people have lost hope in politics. I think people are becoming more involved in politics, by coming out and voting. The disillusionment may be with regard to the nature of politics. People feel that they can bring out some transformation by voting.
The AAP became a manifestation of the fact that even though we are against politics of a certain kind we want to change it now by entering it.
