Bangalore: The euphoria and sense of optimism that arose in the wake of Arvind Kejriwal leading the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to victory in Delhi, especially among the youth and the educated middle class across the country, who till recently were cynical, despondent and largely apathetic, is in danger of giving way to concerns among the same people as they watch how Kejriwal’s team governs, and especially over the policy statements and actions of AAP leaders on major matters.
It may do AAP leaders good to refrain from shooting from the hip their personal opinions and instead acknowledge that the party has just come to power, it is still young and inexperienced in matters of governance.
Although a couple of them were outstanding professionals before they came together to form AAP, the party as a whole will need some time to deliberate internally and form a panel of economists, defence analysts, foreign policy experts as well as identify civil servants with integrity and come out with an informed policy document that covers the whole gamut of national issues.
That would be nothing to be ashamed of. The party needs time to settle down and get its act together. Nobody can grudge that concession to AAP. It is just a few months old. To be sure, what AAP has achieved so far, in transforming the very nature of politics of this country, is stupendous. Its leaders have shown that you can win elections in India without the backing of money, muscle and caste power.
They have given hope and optimism to the country where none existed before – and not just to the educated and urban middle class but to the entire social and economic strata of people who backed the party in Delhi and brought it to power. What they need to ensure now is sustainability of this brand of politics.
Which is why, the sudden ban on FDI in retail came as a bit of a shocker, especially the manner in which it was done. AAP is in danger of being branded, like other political parties, of resorting to cheap and populist measures and opposing for the sake of opposing. It runs the risk of losing the huge groundswell of support and optimism. It will send a wrong message to investors that India is an unstable country with regard to continuity of government policies.
AAP is unwittingly also playing into the hands of Indian oligopolies that opposed FDI in retail so they could have their own monopolies or domestic cartels. That's exactly the kind of 'crony capitalism' that benefited under previous governments.
Does AAP’s policy on FDI mean that it is OK for large Indian retail chains to shortchange – since that’s the party’s fear -- the Indian supplier, consumer and small retailer, but not for foreign retailers to do so? Or, does AAP want to take its stand on modern retail to its logical conclusion and shut down even domestic large-format retailers?
Personally, I think opening up retail to FDI and, therefore, to more competition is good for the farmers and the economy and the country as a whole. Many small retailers are opposed to FDI in retail, and that’s the old BJP lobby of small traders. Their fears are unfounded. No retail corporation can shake up our Udupi hotels or mom-and-pop groceries. Even in the West, the corner store continues to thrive. Pizza Hut, for instance, has not dislodged Italian eateries.
But the larger point is, AAP must step back and deliberate and not do anything in haste in terms of policy decisions. It must take its time and come out with a long-term vision for India that will remove poverty and improve living standards and create a happy society.
We need to build not only a 'corruption-free' India, but also an economically strong and vibrant India which ensures that millions of entrepreneurs, not just big 'crony capitalists', create wealth and jobs, and see that the benefits of better standards of living and job opportunities percolate into the deep bowels of the country, rather than continue to have the teeming millions hankering after cushy government jobs that offer opportunities to make easy money on the side. Nobody wants a corruption-free, but poor India.
The Danger of the Gulag Mindset
What's the Gulag mindset? If you disagree, you're anti-party. If you're anti-party, you're anti-India. So, let us banish the dissident! Some of us in AAP have already had a taste of this. I only hope it’s not a foretaste of the things to come.
When I spoke on TV as well as wrote a blog post that the AAP leadership must step back a bit and have a wider debate on major issues of policy, when I specifically said that the sudden ban on FDI in Delhi, overturning the previous government’s decision, would erode the credibility of the party and the country, especially as AAP now has national ambitions, and when I expressed the fear that AAP itself would come across as being irresponsible and that investors would flee the country – as they did during Pranab Mukherjee's tenure as Finance minister when he did the irrational and unthinkable thing by disregarding the Supreme Court ruling in the Vodafone case and changed the law itself -- a new recruit to AAP, who had joined just three days earlier, was quick to pounce on me, questioning if I had read the party’s election manifesto?
And, in an earlier TV debate, too, a founding member of AAP patronisingly and condescendingly declared that she wondered how, once I had joined the party, I could disagree with the objectives declared in its manifesto.
That's how the old Communist party, in the days of the Gulag, functioned. That's how the ‘high command’ politics of traditional parties -- be it Congress, BJP or the regional parties that are mostly run by dictators -- functions. If you disagree with the policy espoused by the ‘high command’, then you're a renegade.
Millions have joined AAP precisely because they hope that that’s not how AAP will function. We in AAP must also beware of zealots, ideologues, sycophants and those who are more loyal than the 'king'. Kejriwal led AAP to victory on the plank of ridding the country of corruption and providing good governance and simple ideals of honesty, openness, simplicity and humility. None of those ideals can be put into action if one can’t speak his mind, if one can’t differ with the leadership.
Let us remember that our great heritage, pre-dating all other civilisations, from the Upanishadic times is one of inquiry, debate and dialogue. The founding fathers of our Constitution, too, knew the value of doubt and how it can catalyse the evolution of ideas.
Therefore, they chose a system of government in which new ideas or ways can be developed, tried out and thrown away. As Richard Feynman, the great physicist and Nobel Laureate, said, “The fact that you are not sure means it is possible that there is another way, some day”. Let us not forget the core premise: ‘doubt and discussion are essential to progress’.
—Capt G.R. Gopinath, is pioneer of low-cost airlines in India, joined the Aam Aadmi Party recently
