“Main hun Aam Aadmi”
I am the common man, the “Aam
Aadmi” of India, the biggest democracy on this planet. Some people call me
mango man. Some people call my country a banana republic.
I have a long history as old as
the civilization, but today, let me focus my thoughts on the post independence
era. As a common man, I ploughed the barren fields. I lifted goods and pulled
rikshaw on broken roads. I labored in factory. I taught students in schools in
open fields, I taught students in good schools in and colleges. I did whatever
work I was asked to do. I earned my livelihood, looked after my family and
remained practically aloof from the socio-political process. I remained mere
spectator and acted only as a “vote” in the country’s political process. Sometimes, my ignorance was exploited and I
was thrown in fires of political rallies, yatras, disturbances and communal
riots, may be for few coins or by exploiting my emotional and religious
innocent beliefs. After 67 years of India’s independence, I am still the same
common man and I accepted all the rights and wrongs without much courage to
raise any questions?
As a common man, I watched a
section of society growing their wealth exponentially adopting all
legal/illegal means whereas, as a common man on the street, I am still
struggling to survive. I am a mute witness to the extreme disparities between
rich and poor. As a poor, I am living in unlivable, inhuman conditions;
suffering from malnutrition, lack of medical aid, lack of proper sanitation
facilities and even lack proper food for survival. Still, I astonishingly watch
big people calling India a great democracy. I watch these people, even after
sixty seven years of Independence, promising me to eradicate poverty, every now
and then and uplift my livelihood.
I have been hearing of many small
and big corruption cases in the country taking the toll on the nation’s
developments, practically under all political regimes of the governance but
could not dare to raise a finger, leave aside witnessing proper conviction.
Under such a scenario, I watched
an agitation by Team Anna and Mr. Arvind Kejirwal in Delhi for Lokpal Bill. I
watched with deep agony people coming on the street to protest against rape of
a girl in the national capital. In the age of electronic media, these incidents
had suddenly waked up my consciousness. After sudden waking up from deep the
deep slumber, I realized that Anna and Kejiwal are speaking my voice. I watched
them demanding passing of a strong Lokpal Bill in parliament to control
cancerous growth of corruption. I too joined the chorus. They repeatedly
proclaimed that most of the political parties have the same ideology on
corruption and have tacit understanding of not exposing each other’s cases and
continue with their money making and power sharing arrangements. All political
parties challenged Anna and Kejriwal that the bills cannot be passed on the
street and if they want to frame the laws, they should join politics and enter
parliament.
And here comes Arvind Kejriwal
accepting the challenge to join the politics and forming a political outfit
“Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)”, offering an alternate political philosophy and system
of governance. After building the party and asking people to donate for
election funding, listing the donors names on the website, he rose to challenge
the mighty Sheila Dixit in Delhi Assembly Elections. Arvind Kejriwal has
started telling me that the time has gone for the Aam Aadmi of this country to
keep mum and tolerate everything in the name of democracy. He started telling
me that the time has really come for each one, like me to become an active and
aware citizen and challenge the ills in society and governance.
The AAP promised me a clean alternative
to present day’s politics where least concern is shown to the common man whose
role in governance is considered over after his casting of vote once in five
years. This promise appeared to offer a historical opportunity to right minded
patriotic citizen and common man like me to ponder over what Kejriwal is saying.
Kejriwal appeared sincere and honest to me. For the first time, common man like
me got a voice and was receiving attention. I was asked to come forward and be
a part of cleansing process. Kejriwal asked me to join the party, asked me to
donate for election, asked my views on various issues and was easily
approachable. He looked like me and he could touch my heart with full
sincerity. I started feeling empowered and decided to give my trust to him.
Then came the Delhi state elections.
Overwhelming majority voted for Aam Aadmi Party but still it fell short of
majority. AAP members again came to common man like me to ask my opinion on
minority government formation. I advised AAP to go ahead and form government
and prove that how honestly, the system can be used to serve the common man. Today,
AAP is heading the Delhi government and Kejriwal has become the national hero,
receiving praise for good actions as well as brickbats for mistakes all over.
But, certainly he has become a role model for many and specially for a common
man, like me.
Today, as an empowered common man, I am
witnessing that AAP could give a direction to the strong desire of masses to
offer a substitute to the forces of status quo. Where it will lead, the future
will tell, but certainly, it has given new direction and hope for the political
discourse in the country. If the team remains sincere, honest and patriotic in its
efforts, come what may, they will succeed and the Indian history will remember
them forever. If they fall prey to greedy politics, the same Indian history
will remember them as traitors to deceive people’s faith and as a consequence,
the AAP will be consigned in the dirty water of Yamuna.
The other political parties have
got 67 years to rule and misrule, I, the aam aadmi, want to give AAP some reasonable time for the promised “Swaraj”.
