The Argument Goes On...(AAP)

AAP is all over the news again (I don’t think they were ever off the radar) and more importantly, all over my FB news feed. There are friends arguing over right and wrong, AK, Kumar Vishwas, Somnath Bharti, Rakhi Birla.  Every aspect of the AAP including accusations of being equally corrupt as other political parties to being leftist in their philosophy to being agents funded by the western world are being discussed in ridiculous details. At times and in some opinions, Congress and BJP are largely considered to indulge in nothing except rogue politics while AAP is viewed as a beacon of angelic light that will deliver all from evil. The argument just seems to go on and on….

Never has a political party received such critical media attention or its members subjected to scrutiny akin to a biological dissection under the watchful eyes of a people who really want to know if they have done the right thing by voting them to power. Like I have said before, while AAP did change the face of Indian politics, it has yet to show the talent. I sincerely hope that, the people in the news for all the wrong reasons, are not the only talent that AAP has.  

I am not a political expert but I don’t see much wisdom in the methods of the AAP. A chief minister is a chief minister. Can he really double as a protestor? The law minister is a law minister. Can he really raid with “activists” in the middle of the night? It’s time AAP starts taking itself seriously. There is need for governance, not primetime news.

While AAP seems to have screwed up its act a bit, it does not go without saying that they have achieved good work in the few weeks that they have come to power which is more than what can be said about the full term of the previous government. However, it would be best for AAP to stick to its agenda and, more importantly, align its processes around prudent methods.

In my opinion, the question truly is not about Congress, BJP or AAP. Nor is it a question of coalition based politics. It has never been about any political party. It has always been about the people of the country. It is about education and it is about awareness and its lacking thereof.

Unfortunately, there are many Indias in one India.  Unless they unite, at least in the perception of what they are being served, and if and only when that happens, the politics in the country will work for the country. And any and every political party in power will deliver.   

Until then, sadly, it remains a question of who the lesser evil is.

Lesser evil, huh? So, how do we decide on that?

And the argument goes on...

Kudos New Delhi!

The incident depicted in this post is true and has been reported by a very close and reliable source!

I have never had the chance to defend the city of New Delhi, where I spent a considerable number of years as a young single woman. And I still won’t. It is not a city that is known to be kind to the lot of women.

And yet, the New Year has brought in wonderful news from very close quarters. Unexpected, heartwarming news. And I have, therefore, felt the need to let it be known to as many people I can reach.

Someone very close, a woman, was driving back from work after dark through the city. True to her routine, she decided to stop at a market to buy, well, whatever. In certain countries I know about, what happened in the next second has the potential to bring down governments. With a thud, she landed one of the tyres of her SUV in an open manhole while attempting to park. No, it was not her fault. The manhole – a gaping hole without an iota of warning, had been waiting for a tyre right there in the middle of darkness.

Profanity was soon followed by panic. Road side assistance would take hours, and it was already late in the evening. To make matters worse, people (mostly men) had almost immediately begun to take notice of her sorry predicament.

Before she could retrieve her mobile phone, men poured in from around the shopping complex, in all ages and sizes. And before long, there was a small crowd extremely interested in her situation. And they had one single agenda – to help her get the tyre out of the manhole!

In the next few minutes, the manhole ejected the tyre, probably making a hasty retreat against the will of the determined score. A damsel in distress, she was no more.

As she recounted the tale, overwhelmed with the experience, my heart filled with a sense of pride. This is how it should be, this is how it should have been.

Kudos to the citizens who came forth and thank you for ensuring the safety of one woman. 

As for the manhole, well, it is probably waiting for its next victim. NDMC, are you listening? AK, anyone?