Top ten myths about the AAP..

Just imagine the outcome if similar action is taken truthfully against Congress/BJP. The criminal nexus between politicians, bureaucrats, paid media and corporate crooks is behind this conspiracy. They are afraid that their free run to loot the country and sell the country could be threatened if AAP comes to occupy any position of power or influence.

The Aam Aadmi Party has been an exciting new effort in Indian politics. The media calls the India elections a three way race between Congress, BJP and AAP. It remains to be seen what kind of electoral success the AAP can garner. With the elections to the Delhi assembly just a few days away, it might be useful to capture the ten common myths about the AAP

1. AAP is the Team B of Congress/BJP: This was one of the earliest allegations leveled against AAP. This is an easy one used by AAP’s opponents to mislead voters. The very fact that both the Congress and the BJP call AAP the B-team of the other is an indication that this simply can’t be true. AAP for its part has come out with exposes both against the BJP and the Congress. It has been widely reported that BJP had all the information about Robert Vadra’s dealings, but it didn’t have the “guts” to go public. AAP had the gumption to do it, and also exposed Nithin Gadkari. Is this the sign of a B-team?


2. AAP is against business: Attacking corrupt business practices does not make one anti-business. Recent scams have shown that businesses and politicians have been hand in glove for way too long. The Radia tapes gave us an insight into the dangerous nexus between business houses, middlemen, media and the political parties. AAP has shown the wherewithal to break this nexus and introduce transparency and accountability in government.


3. AAP is foreign funded: This is a false charge to say the least, especially when the BJP and Congress have raised 800 crores and 2000 crores respectively - 80% of which are unaccounted for. AAP, on the other hand, has raised 20 crores from 64,000 donors, each of whom can be accounted for. All NRI donors are those who are Indian passport holders. They are required to enter their passport number before they can donate to the party.


4. Sab neta chor hai: While it is true that AAP has never been afraid to expose corrupt politicians, it is also true that this general narrative has been wrongly attributed to AAP. This narrative is reflective of the prevailing perception among the people and AAP’s exposes have a lot to do with this. Unfortunately, it’s also true that when Arvind Kejriwal says there are good politicians in existing political parties but their voices are stifled within these parties, it does not get reported in the media.


5. A vote for AAP is a wasted vote: No vote is a wasted vote. In a democracy, a vote is an expressions of a voter’s belief and trust in a political party. So voters should be encouraged to vote based on their conscience and not base their vote on hypothetical post-election scenarios. Even a negative vote counts – otherwise there would have been no question of introducing a ‘none of the above’ option.


6. AAP is a media creation: The truth is that AAP has grown despite the media. Contrary to popular belief, the media has done plenty to hurt AAP. For example, after the recent sting, none of the media channels have bothered to go through the unedited videos to arrive at their own conclusions. In fact, they have been showing the edited videos that mislead voters and gone to town with the narrative, “Everyone likes to play judge. When it comes to exposes on themselves, AAP gives itself a clean chit, etc.” completely ignoring AAP’s detailed response.


7. AAP does not talk of its policies: The party has released its manifesto. In fact, unlike traditional political parties whose manifestos are prepared in the confines of A/C rooms, AAP has chosen a new approach of seeking inputs directly from every constituency. The net result is a detailed document outlining its policies - far more detailed than both the Congress and the BJP combined.


8. AAP lacks experience: This is a more recent allegation. Firstly, it’s a tacit acceptance that AAP might actually come to power because if AAP is unlikely to make a dent like its opponents have claimed, then why should it matter whether AAP has experience or not? As regards experience, Barack Obama became the US president twice, with very little prior experience. His administration has passed the universal healthcare law and has made significant headway with the Iranians - two historic achievements in American politics. If experience is what brings us these scams and corruption, then maybe not having such experience is a strength rather than a liability. We need dreamers. We need dreamers who are unencumbered by the baggage of so-called “experience.”


9. AAP makes promises it can’t keep: “In 15 days we’ll pass Lokpal. In three months we will complete the audit of discoms.” True, such goals set by AAP might seem hopelessly far-fetched, especially to the critics. Anyone will admit that they would take such promises over promises of colors TVs, laptops, mixers and grinders! Next, for whatever its worth, such promises build in a certain level of accountability. It is possible to hold the party responsible, should it come to power and is unable to execute its agenda. But most importantly, it’s an indication of political will that has been sadly lacking in our current governments. Take the example of the supposed “pay-offs” made by Walmart to our political parties. The government had promised an investigation, but there was no timeline. It’s been several months and everyone including the media has forgotten about it! It would have been a totally different story had the government announced some timelines, no matter how unrealistic they might  have been.


10. AAP’s idealism is a problem: AAP does tend to be idealistic. At a time when cynicism is at its peak and trust in politicians and political institutions are at its nadir, a strong dose of idealism is not a bad thing after all.

It’s time for change and there is no better place than Delhi to make a start.  A resounding victory for the AAP in India will change Indian politics for good. The people of Delhi have an opportunity to usher in this change. But will they? I certainly hope they do. 

Source : India Times..