AAP - Deserves 2nd chance

The Aam Aadmi Party is trying to recover its lost base, particularly among the urban electorate, through Delhi Dialogue. For a change, the party appears more sober, humble and mature in its approach. Conspicuously missing are the holier-than-thou attitude, the ‘my way or the high way' approach and the street-fighting ways and there's a constructive agenda visible. This may not be enough to undo the damage the party has inflicted upon itself in the last one year, but it's a good sign nevertheless.

The AAP should come to power in Delhi again. It not for the reason that the BJP or the Congress ought to be taught a lesson for their hubris, but for the simple reason that it is a fresh experiment that needs some space to play out. The verdict on the 49-day rule of the party is mixed. However, it's too small a period to judge anything. The party deserves a second chance to prove itself.

If this piece already sounds like part of a ‘Vote for AAP' campaign, hold on. It actually comes from the middle class dilemma over the party. What appealed most about AAP in the initial days was its middle class-ness. Its leaders could be related with, their anger against the politicians made sense and their rant against the system appeared justified. They promised change but were wholly impractical about it. They hated politicians but wanted to be in politics. They wanted to do too many things with no clue how to go about it. They looked foolish but it didn't matter.

Everyone loved them. Weren't they, after all, one of us. We, the middle class, crib too much about the world around us, we hate people above us in the economic ladder, we hate politicians, we blame everyone else but ourselves for the state we are in and we believe changes - quick and drastic - are possible. The AAP, through the personality of its leaders and the ideals it laid out, represented all that. Twenty-eight assembly seats on debut is no joke. The middle class made it possible. It wanted to be up there and throw a challenge to the entrenched interests.

The experiment did not go far. The AAP won power but it got distracted by other developments and lost focus in Delhi. Some of the AAP legislators were a big let down in their public conduct and the leaders found no conflict in being in power and continuing with their agitationist ways. Soon, they were antagonizing all. The media, carrier of middle class sensibilities, found them a nuisance. The upper middle class found solace in Narendra Modi. The punishment came in the parliamentary elections. The party, flying high only a few months earlier, failed to win a single seat.

The party believes now that it has been punished enough and people cannot hold their missteps, including quitting power in 49 days, against it for long. It can make a fresh beginning and retrieve the lost ground. The change in approach to issues and attitude reflects some introspection. Delhi Dialogue is aimed at the electorate in 25 urban middle class constituencies of Delhi. The population here comprises among others salaried employees and students. The party has been active in jhuggi-jhopdis too where the voters remain equally confused about the party.

The BJP has captured the space ceded by the AAP. Will the latter be able to wrest it back? Right now there are no clear answers. Not many gave the party more than 10 seats before the assembly elections last year. It surprised all by capturing 28. It might shrink from 28 to 10 too. But one hopes it makes a comeback.

The experiment of the middle class with power is only half-done. It needs one more chance. more