The word of 2014 - " Women empowerment, system, yada, yada"

The leader who isn't ready yet

So if "Selfie" was the word of 2013, hardly a month into 2014, we may have already found the word for the year, or should i say words for the year. And in no particular order of importance, they are "Women empowerment", "System" and a few more.

 Rahul Gandhi's interview with Arnab Goswami was always going to be in the headlines - for it was the first formal interview that RG gave in his 10 years as a member of parliament (press conferences not withstanding). And then Arnab being Arnab, needs no introduction. There were rumors that RG had been provided the questions in advance, which did a figment of imagination going by how prepared (or unprepared) RG came across as. Another interesting rumor was that RG had been prepped for the interview by two well known PR firms - if this is the quality of their work, the less said the better. Congress has so far miscalculated the play on a few occasions - and this in hindsight wasn't too different. Here was a chance for the heir apparent to come out and stamp his mark in the mind of the countrymen - but, unfortunately what came across was someone who just didnt seem ready to take the lead for his party, forget the country. He came across as someone still caught in the maze - confused may be a closer word. He actually ended up making Arnab look good!  Harsha Bhogle, the famous cricket commentator summed this performance in his tweet.

there are questions on this rahul gandhi interview and there are answers but i am searching for a connection.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) January 27, 2014

Though RG needs to be commended for somethings as well - he atleast sat through the questions,though may have repeated his go to phrase in places where it made absolutely no sense, but he sat through. Also he has made some significant changes in the NSUI constitution, making it more of an elected body than nominated. Also maybe his intention are good (i will believe so, if Narendra Modi can talk about secularism), but he has an uphill climb when it comes to becoming a visionary leader or even a leader that i would expect to bring in change. He often has waited far too long to take a stand - something i would expect from someone who is confidant in his beliefs. He speaks in general terms the moment the question is directed at his partymen on corruption - so even if your claim to stake is providing the RTI - you cannot run away from the CWG, 2G,Coal scam etc. Talking about changing the system, bringing equality is great - but did he forget that in the past 60 odd years, Congress has ruled the country for more than 80% time and if things are where they are - a big portion of that blame must lie on his party itself. And the comparison between the 1984 and 2002 riots - he did seem to have put himself in a tight corner. Just as how everyone believes Narendra Modi could have done a lot more to prevent the barbaric killings in Gujrat, so could Congress have done to stop the racial killings of 1984 after Indra Gandhi's murder.

A leader needs to see the bigger picture, needs to be brave enough to admit mistakes, and strong enough to learn from the mistake and move on. A leader shouldn't need a script writer to tell when what his response should be to matters of national importance. A leader should know when to believe in words and when to look beyond it. Manishankar Aiyar on Vikram Chanda's Big Fight show felt that when he saw RG speak at the AICC meet, being an atheist, he still thought he was seeing a reincarnation of Rajiv Gandhi - flattery of the biggest kind or the stupidest thing you have ever heard? RG unfortunately is surrounded by group of such people - and they will do more harm to him than any favors. RG needs to come out on his own - use the support base that he definitely enjoys within his party partly because of his name, and partly because there is a leadership paralysis in the Congress. I think RG's time will come, but not in 2014. He has to walk the talk - he cant say he is against corruption and then go ahead and form a poll alliance with RJD and Laloo Prasad Yadav and say that the alliance is with the party and not the individual. People will see through such statement. So learn to take it on the chin, you will be better off with the experience.

Why Aam Aadmi Party needs to be careful. Especially now.

So Aam Aadmi Party did something which stumped a lot of seasoned political analysts. Suddenly they were the toast of not only Delhi but the entire country. People especially youngsters saw them as a refreshing change - bold enough to dream, crazy to actually make the dream a reality. For the first time, one could be part of a political revolution. There were minimum barriers of entry - something which is a major constraint for large national parties like Congress, BJP etc. For some, AAP brought back the romanticism into politics - suddenly being in politics wasn't sneered upon. A lot of things AAP did was a change, and a welcome one at that - it had detailed manifestos for each ward - detailing the issues at the ground level. For once each rupee being managed had a source - if you wanted to donate to them you needed to furnish your personal details. It gave chance to people much like you and I to contest elections and help be a change agent. It promised to look into two long standing grievances of the people on the streets - water, and electricity. It promised clean and effective governance, it promised quick solutions. it promised people that their representatives will be available to them everyday and not just after 5 years at the time of seeking re election. It promised an end to the babu raj - no more having to give way to a cavalcade of cars because some VVIP was travelling. 

The results of the Delhi polls put AAP among the high sea and the deep canyon. If they didn't form the government, they would be hounded by other parties for not taking the lead. If they tried forming the party with the outside support of either Congress/BJP, the parties in the opposition would bay for their blood. And they did. Even the SMS and the muhallah sabah campaign that AAP took before deciding to form the government was ridiculed - questions were asked if they would solve every problem by a show of hands. But they decided to take the bold step and form the government. As a outsider, I wished that even if Congress was only going to provide support on a case to case basis, AAP and Arvind would be able to show everyone that they can also execute their plans. And hopefully should the people of Delhi have to vote again, they will do so based on that show.

But AAP and Team Arvind have to be careful. Public trust is something that is with them - but its also something that can go away as quickly as it gets built. Already they seem to be too keen to err on the side of rhetoric. AAP stood for austerity - and what does the new CM do - goes and take two 5 room bunglows. When asked about this sudden opulence, the CM replied that his is a humble abode compared to Sheila Dixit's official residence. The next day Arvind did a perfect turn around - and put it as something the govt had allocated to him. Doesn't realize that he is the government himself now.

AAP also needs to move beyond the symbolism and the rhetoric. Its time to tome down the rhetoric and get down to work. One of my personal favorite is how Arvind keeps saying - "Main kaun hoon?" Somebody remind him that he is now the CM of Delhi and has a job and a half at hand. Everyone seems to be keen to give a byte to the news person - and that is a big risk. Someone as experienced as Prashant Bhushan just created a situation that could have been avoided - I only shudder at more inexperienced people like the Rakhi Birla's of the world.  

Also AAP needs to understand that not all decisions have to be done at the rate of running a 100 mt race. Some can be a longer version as well. We have a sound legislative process and that shouldn't be overlooked. Muhalla Sabahs are great to understand the sentiments of the people but the problems need to be discussed in the assembly and the best possible solution be acted upon. 

In between all of this, AAP suddenly decided to contest on 300 seats. This to me could have been avoided. In my humble opinion, they should have shown what they are capable of in Delhi and then looked at spreading their wings. They could have taken their time to set up the ground machinery across the country. AAP also has to be careful in this national endeavor - they at this point in time don't have a leader beyond Arvind and to an extent Yogendra Yadav. 

AAP has done a lot of things right, but suddenly seems to be taking some steps which could quickly alienate them from everyone. So hope AAP is careful - hope they think over their actions and their words. Especially now more than ever.