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AAP: Throwing the baby out with the bath water?

According to us pundits and social media loyalists, AAP is going through a crisis and this could be the end of the road. Yes, there is a credibility gap for Kejriwal and AAP which they cannot deny. Is this the end of Aam Aadmi Party? After the Loksabha elections we asked this question and our answer was that AAP will be back, though this mandate was unprecedented. My business school professor ingrained one question in me that beats all other questions - “Who is your customer?”

AAP’s NRI warriors who want to showcase India as a corruption free, women respecting country are a worried lot. So are some of the young and idealistic volunteers who wish for the AAP Caliphate, where a puritan world of milk and honey exists as a shining beacon for the rest of the world. While we sip our lattes we all strive for that democracy where the common man, human rights and women are respected and the voter is revered. The latte sipping volunteers are hurt and devastated, when Yogendra Yadav and team pitch the desecration of the AAP Holy ideals. But in reality is Yogendra Yadav really concerned about the “defilement” of holy AAP ideals or just trying to do a land grab, now that AAP is in power. Prasanth Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav say that did not want AAP party to win to prevent AAP ideals from going astray, OR did they really mean to say that AAP should not win under the leadership of Kejriwal? Why did the sting video not come out until after the elections if these folks we so self-righteous?

But for a moment let us look at the REAL CONSTITUENTS of AAP, whose lives depend on politicians and their policies - the voters. So think about the actual voter, who BTW is not sipping latte like the AAP donors. The real voters are looking at who can deliver electricity and water, who can protect their women and stop the police from harassing them.  Does it matter to them if Arvind Kejriwal tried to split Congress? I don’t think so.

The Indian voter has been so abused at all levels and seen many more dirty tricks that all that matters to them is the joy of getting liquor, money, or TV ( in you are in Tamilnadu) and then voting for a candidate of their choice. A recent example of political abuse would be Kerala in one of the most “progressive” states in the country. The MLAS obstructed proceeding and physically abused one another in the Assembly. To add insult to injury, they declared another day of hartal closing all businesses in protest against their own behavior….

But unlike the western NRI, the Indian voter is exposed to the GOD like stature of politicians but unexposed to the GOD like power of the VOTER in developed countries. For the ordinary Indian voter whose aspirations are limited to a job and a decent trouble free life with basic amenities and respect as an individual.

For that Indian voter  sick and tired of the current politics, AAP is still a credible option and actually a major step up, provided AAP can deliver in Delhi and can fill the void that Congress has created nationally. At some point in time, when the Indian voter evolves to a higher realm in terms of expectations, issues such as horse trading take precedence over bread and butter issues. As of now, the latte sipping class overseas and the middle class voters in India do matter when it comes to fundraising for the next election.

For AAP, there are valid questions to consider and the most important one is the dilution of ideals as the party expands. It is inevitable that there will be some amount of dilution, and that has to be monitored. That is probably why Kejriwal is taking time to expand nationally by putting the right people in the states who will work with him and his agenda and not against him. Yadav and Bhushan have to admit that though they have great qualities, they just don’t have the charisma to be the national face of AAP. To me this noise appears to be a case of sour grapes and as the media walks onto another new story, they will be doing more introspection.

At the end of the day, the Aam Aadmi  baby may not be as pretty as some want it to be, but it should not become a case of throwing the baby out along with the bathwater.

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