After the breathtaking victory, the celebrations, the rose petal showers, the “Thank u Sunita” tweet, and the warm, husbandly hug came a frank admission. Arvind Kejriwal conceded that the gigantic mandate for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was “very scary”. Indian politics has got a new makeover with the victor confidently displaying his vulnerable side. But ironically, just as the “common man” and his everyday struggles take centrestage, his latest champion risks being seen as a hero in the mythic tradition — a cross between Samson, Hercules and Superman.
Luckily, “Muffler Man” Kejriwal does not have to kill a lion, slay an entire army with only the jawbone of an ass, nor traverse through space and distant galaxies. But there is the burden of great expectations.
Delhiites want the AAP government to deliver, and quickly. That is only to be expected. The AAP won 67 out of the 70 Assembly seats in Delhi. The Bharatiya Janata Party is down to just three seats, and India’s grand old party, the Congress, is wiped out altogether. The AAP’s landslide victory shows that though Mr Kejriwal had Delhi’s autorickshaw drivers and vegetable vendors rooting for him, his supporters are not just from the city’s underclass.
Embracing the anxieties of the ordinary man and woman, and focusing on the everyday battles of life in a tough city of nearly 17 million was a brilliant and critical first step. The next stage — coordination between Delhi’s multiple agencies and with the Centre — is going to be just as crucial. The Delhi election was as much about amenities as about aspirations. Despite its status as the capital, millions in this megalopolis lack access to basic amenities such as healthcare, sanitation, potable water and safe public spaces. Lack of clean air troubles all. Just as the struggle against corruption is an everyday battle that unites peoples across caste, religious and class divides.
So where do we go from here? The AAP manifesto for the Delhi Assembly elections, with its 70-point action plan, is a long list of promises from full statehood to Delhi, Jan Lokpal Bill to halving the electricity bill. In between are a host of other issues.
AAP’s action plan for Delhi says that education and health will be top priority and that the budgetary allocation for these will be increased accordingly. The AAP has promised to create 900 new primary health centres (PHCs) and 30,000 more beds in Delhi hospitals, out of which 4,000 will be in maternity wards. The party also says that drug and equipment procurement will be centralised to ensure zero corruption and that generic, affordable and high quality drugs will be made available to the public. Given that most Indians pay for their own healthcare and insurance does not typically cover the cost of medicines, AAP’s promise of quality drugs for all at affordable price is welcome.
Safety and security are top issues in Delhi, especially for women, and the AAP promises action on this count. Seventy-five per cent of Delhi’s streetlights do not work. The AAP plans to fix that, and make sure all streets are well lit so that no miscreant goes unnoticed. There are plans to install CCTV cameras in buses, bus stands and crowded places. The AAP is also committed to setting up Mahila Suraksha Dal or Women’s Security Force made up of 10,000 strong Home Guards who are currently forced to work as servants, drivers and cooks at the homes of senior officers and ministers. The AAP says it will also use 5,000 bus marshals to deter crime on public transport and provide a suraksha/SOS button on every mobile phone. If AAP government means what it says, Wi-Fi will also be freely available in public spaces across Delhi which should go a long way in bridging the digital divide and provide impetus to education, entrepreneurship, business, employment, and women’s safety initiatives.
Water gets top billing in AAP’s agenda for Delhi. Each household with a metered connection will get an average of 700 litres of free, “lifeline” water every day, promises the manifesto. But over 50 lakh people in Delhi do not get piped water at home and are totally dependent on tankers, bore wells, canals and ponds. The AAP says it will provide universal access to clean drinking water at an affordable price. The Delhi Jal Board Act will be amended to make clean drinking water a right and there will not be discrimination between planned/non-planned; authorised/non-authorised; regularised/non-regularised colonies. It promises that within five years, piped water connections will be made available to 50 lakh people that do not have it now and crackdown on Delhi’s powerful water mafia with alleged links to political leaders.
If all things go as per the AAP’s plans, there should be better public transport, fewer cars on the road, and the ones that are on the road will run on low emission fuels like CNG, or electricity. The city will also have 200,000 public toilets, including eco-toilets to save water. Then there is the overarching issue of corruption, AAP’s flagship issue. The party is committed to legislate the Delhi Jan Lokpal Bill. This, it says, will ensure a time-bound investigation in matters of corruption.
How much of this is do-able, at what cost, and in what time span remains to be seen. AAP’s critics would love to see the party and its supremo fail. The AAP, therefore, needs to soon announce a time-table spelling out what can be realistically tackled in the immediate future and what is for the long haul. It also needs to take the public into confidence on costs and compromises in each of the initiatives it has proposed.
The Delhi chief minister, unlike his counterparts in other states, doesn’t enjoy control over key agencies — such as Delhi Police and the Delhi Development Authority. These come under the Union ministries of home and urban development, respectively. The city’s municipal corporations are controlled by archrival BJP.
Now his government has to prove its deft touch in working with the Narendra Modi-led Central government, after having decimated Mr Modi’s party in the capital. Delhi, and the nation, awaits.
The writer focuses on development issues in India and emerging economies. She can be reached at patralekha.chatterjee@gmail.com
