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Ashutosh joined the Aam Aadmi Party in January. The former journalist took on former Union minister Kapil Sibal and Health Minister Hasrh Vardhan in the national election from Chandni Chowk in Delhi.)
The bad old days from Indira Gandhi's times are back. That was the time of crude power politics. Morality and spirit of the Constitution were of no value to the decision makers in Indian politics. Power was the only defining criteria. I am reminded of an episode in history when in the early 1980s a constitutionally elected government of NT Rama Rao was toppled by Indira Gandhi in Andhra Pradesh. This raised two very pertinent questions - 1. Can the people's will be ignored to settle scores with the opponent? 2. Can horse-trading be encouraged to fulfill the technical requirement of gathering a majority to form the government?
In recent days, Delhi has emerged as a classic example of the BJP's disrespect for people's will and constitutional morality. People have given an unprecedented mandate to Modi for clean politics but the Delhi episode has proved that the BJP is no different from the Congress. We all are aware that no party is in a position to form the government in Delhi. Neither AAP nor BJP has numbers. And the Congress is not willing to support either of the two. The only possibility is if a breakaway faction decides to support and help the BJP or the AAP gain a majority.
Yet the BJP denies trying to break either AAP or Congress, but is planning to stake claim to form government in Delhi.
This is the same BJP whose Chief Ministerial candidate, Dr. Harsh Vardhan had written a letter to Lt. Governor Najeeb Jang on December 12, 2013, saying, "We cannot form the government as we don't have the numbers. We fall short of four seats. In such a situation, on grounds of our principles and morality, we feel we should sit in the opposition."
On 15 February, 2014, the day Arvind Kejriwal resigned, Dr Harsh Vardhan again said, "I had said this on December 8 (after the Delhi election results) that we don't have numbers. We are even ready if elections are held next week."
Now the question that arises is, what has changed in the last six months? If staking claim was immoral then, should it not be even be more immoral now as the BJP's numbers in the assembly have come down from 32 to 29? If the BJP was ready for elections in the month of February, then why it is running away from elections now?
In December and in February, the BJP was out to project itself as an alternative to the Congress, which it painted as the most corrupt and immoral party. Narendra Modi was involved in a perception battle and any attempt to form government by any other means would have dented his image and would have its bearing on his election as prime minister. Now, Modi is strongly saddled in 7 Race Course Road. The stakes are much lower now for him personally. And the BJP forming the government in Delhi means another state in its kitty. It is pure power politics.
Secondly, in the last 50 days the Modi myth has been busted. A myth that Modi would solve all the problems of price rise and corruption once he was elected the prime minister was carefully created; but the world has witnessed that he is incapable of controlling price rise. Prices have only escalated.
Furthermore, Modi has failed to provide a clean government too. A minister in his cabinet was accused of rape by a woman. And he has appointed as party president Amit Shah, who faces charges of conspiracy and murder.
The BJP and the RSS had recently done a survey in Delhi which has clearly indicated that the popularity of the Modi government is on the decline and if elections were held in Delhi for the state assembly, AAP would form the government. The BJP has been out of power in Delhi for more than 15 years and if AAP comes to power then the BJP is likely to face an existential crisis in the capital.
But most baffling of all is the role of the Lt. Governor. He holds a constitutional position and is supposed to be above power politics. Why he is letting this happen? I first raised doubts when he declined to heed the advice of the majority government led by Kejriwal to dissolve assembly in February. Instead he put the assembly in suspended animation. If elections in Delhi had been held along with the Parliamentary elections then by now Delhi would have had its own duly elected government; but that luxury was denied to the people of the capital.
My bigger worry is that India is once again heading to an Indira Gandhi-like era and Modi is aping her; if that is the case, then India as a nation needs to be vigilant as these are not good signs for Indian democracy.
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