It’s that time of the year again! The time when our dear politicians come out of their slumber and unzip their lips! The only time in the four year tenure, when they’re reminded of the citizens of the country they hold power of! A time when they TALK a lot, not much of it actually makes sense though! And almost as much as our dear leaders, or may be even more, has the public gotten used to of these ‘non-sensical talks’ and ‘promises that are meant to be broken’! Yes! It’s the time before elections! Elections 2014!
It really interests me and I would love to know as to which political party our readers wish to #votetopower~ only if you don’t mind disclosing it! Well, yes there sure is a lot of confusion on whom to bet your trust on this time; though none is worth it! However, I have today, something that gives me a little hope and probably can help you decide better too!
Economy Decoded exclusively interviewed Saurabh Bharadwaj, a candidate of the #AamAadmiParty, standing for the Vidhan Sabha elections 2014. He is a B.Tech in Computer Science and an LLB. He has actively helped rape victims get legal aid. He was also an avid supporter of Anna Hazare during his campaigns. So here are Saurabh Bharadwaj’s #views #aspirations #commitments #promises as he quoted them in his Rendezvous with ED. Have a look!
The first thing that the party would take up if it comes to power?
The AAP after coming to power, if it does, will bring to function its Lokayukta Bill which will facilitate the common man to easily approach the chief minister, or other people of power. It will also ensure punishment for the guilty. It will help the citizens to independently rise against corruption.
*The amount of corruption the country houses, seemed to upset him a lot and also the AAP after coming to power claims to take a fast unto death to uproot corruption from the country, which sounded music to my ears. Within 15 days of its coming to power, the party promises the implementation of the Jan Lokpal Bill and have already signed affidavits to that effect; which would eventuality help to eliminate corruption within 6 months. You think they can deliver?
He told us that in response to the coal scam, the Supreme Court has granted permission to the central and the state government to carry out the necessary investigation but the investigation has not been monetized yet! In whose interest then we take it to not carry out investigation? The youth, he believes, possesses a rationale mind and can well decide upon the right and the wrong and has the power to act an thus the Lokayukta Bill would be the prime focus of the party.
AAP on Electricity rates
The DERC is the regulatory body to decide the tarrif rates for electricity and is currently being chaired by Vijender Singh. It has been found out that Reliance, Tata; the big players; are being provided electricity at lower rates. Also that the distribution agencies buy electricity at low rates and further sell it to their sister concerns at higher rates, thus making substantial profits. On 4th March 2010 during the CAG Audit it was realised that the rates must reduce every year. However, overtime the tariff rates have gone up by almost 150%. Sheila Dixit is then surely involved with the BJP as no investigation in this regard has been carried out. Also, the BJP is said to have been involved with the RIL and yet again there is no authority to intervene and maintain a check.
# AAP claims to bring about a 50% reduction in the tariff rates. This makes me wonder a little about implementation of such a policy.
AAP talks of NAMO
According to the Central Information Commission; a public body to keep the citizens informed about where from the money being collected for various operations and undertakings come from; has made it mandatory for all political parties to come under this body of the RTI. However Namo, who has been pitched as the party Prime Minister for the forthcoming elections, hasn’t yet shown acceptance to this mandate.
Also, nobody has heard of Narendra Modi talk of taking up the Jan Lok Pal Bill after coming to power.
Forget Namo, no other party also claims to.
The Women Empowerment Bill
The women empowerment bill has not been taken up for do long and the reason given for it is that there is no consensus among the party in power and the opposition. Even as they say that those with criminal records should be kept out of politics, it hardly happens and the reason remains the same #noconsensus. Though if there are matters which would in their interests and benefits them, consensus comes quickly.
The AAP claims it has actively been helping rape victims get legal aid and also promises to have the empowerment bill taken up and implemented.
The Party’s View about their Campaign termed “malicious”
Almost everybody knows that Sheila Dixit is corrupt. Lokayukta can claim it but since it does not have power, nobody would pay heed to their say in matters. Pranab Mukherjee would never allow a case to be run on Sheila Dixit and consequent investigations be carried out. The police will not file an FIR in this regard! The whole system is corrupt, there are flaws at every level. There is strong match fixing between the Congress and the BJP. None of the two parties ever pitches their strongest candidate against each other. The AAP however feels proud to have put forward their strongest candidate, Arvind Kejriwal, for the forthcoming elections.
Robert Vadra (son in law of Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi) made so much money from his dealings in India and the BJP never objected to it. When Shri Atal Bihari Bajpayee’s son in law was under question, the matter was done away with and no issue was raised as such. And, the deal was fairly repaid, when it was Sonia Gandhi’s son in law under question, the matter was done with similarly. In that context, the AAP refuses to accept its campaign as malicious in any respect.
#Reality Check
Sheila Dixit, member of the party in power, whenever questioned about the incapability of the government to take substantial measures in case of women empowerment or justice to the rape victims or other matters, says that the Delhi Police is not with them! If not with the ruling party, whom is the Delhi Police with then?
BJP has been the MCD government and not even a single project taken up has turned right.
AAP, not in power anywhere has always raised oppositions publicly whether against corruption or in fetching legal aid to the rape victims. It’s this zeal of the AAP to bring a change irrespective of whether they hold power or not that makes the people of the assembly fear the AAP coming to power or being voted into the Vidhan Sabha.
Why chose Sheraton as a venue for party meetings and conduct such lavish meetings instead of a simple talk at a reasonably good place?
*When this question was asked we’d expected him to go out of words and probably be unable to answer the question. But the answer, to our surprise, seemed quite convincing.
The party spokesperson answered the question saying that the people, who want to meet Kejriwal or the candidates, decide the place of meeting. Industrialists would not fix up a meeting in a ‘jhopdi’ so as per their status they fix up a meeting in a five star hotel and then party people are invited and thus a meeting takes place over there. It depended on the place one is called to meet at, as ED interviewed Saurabh Bharadwaj at Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, he did sit on the staircase among the students and answered all our questions.
Saurabh added to this saying that Arvind Kejriwal is a very neutral person and is clear on his stand. Yes, the party gets donations from several places, but that is because people have faith on Kejriwal and they thus donate to help the party take up projects for public benefit. AAP is the only party, as he claimed, who lists the names of all their donors on their website, thus maintains transparency in the system.
The Party plans to invest, not in building flyovers, instead in building schools and colleges to ensure quality and unbiased education to everyone.
#I Conclude
What the party does in due course of time after coming to power can certainly not be predicted, but for someone (Arvind Kejriwal) who sacrificed the post of an Income Tax Officer, IRS for the sheer concern of bringing about a change in the society, to expect the main motive to be that of earning money would be utter foolishness! Nobody would waste 3 years fighting to come into power to earn money after establishing his Party in the assembly.
In my personal view, having seen what the Congress can or the BJP can do, or have done so far, we could give AAP a fair chance this time!
Fill us in with your views, perspectives about and expectations from the forthcoming elections, through the comment box below.
Disclaimer: ED is an unbiased blog and does not align itself to any particular political party. This interview was carried out since it was possible, unlike arranging with Congress or BJP. We encourage our readers to always do their own research well before aligning to any political interest. The views above are of the writer personally and not of ED as an organisation.
