In my blog of October 28 " Looking at India Through a Glass Half Full " * I had expressed optimism that unlike the past , positive changes would happen in my lifetime. The recent win by the Aam Admi Party "AAP", the passing of the Lokpal bill are signs of this happening. I now feel that 2014 would be the start of the cleansing of India. Unlike the past where a incoming government would blithely carry on with the perfidious activities of the previous government and go through the motions of uncovering the corrupt activities, it was always business as usual. Within forty eight hours of its swearing in, the AAP initiated actions in uncovering the perceived mis-deeds resulting in over charging in the areas of water and electricity supply for the Delhi populous.
Interestingly enough the Bharitiya Janata Party " BJP" has gone public with corruption charges against the ruling Congress Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. The BJP in doing so, perhaps has forgotten the Biblical quote of "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone" It is now going to be a matter of time before the Congress retaliates, and throws dirt at some of the BJP party members.It is expected that AAP once it settles in will look into the major scandals such as the Commonwealth Games which were brushed under the carpet by the previous government. This will be just the start.
The AAP has also emboldened the cleaner members of the bureaucracy to report the activities of their corrupt colleagues. A TV channel India Today interviewed a bureaucrat from the Delhi Jal ( Water ) Board who said that on a yearly basis , the Board spent close to thirty million rupees on lunches for its senior management. That works out an astonishing amount of Rupees of Eighty two thousand per day. An amount large even by major corporate standards.
The AAP has now set its target on going national prior to the Parliamentary elections in the second quarter of this year, with a focus on the urban areas where it feels it has the highest level of support. On a daily basis, it has hundreds of thousands of people joining up and contributing to their campaign funds. Some prominent corporate executives have also signed up. This is clearly a sign that the country is fed up with the two major parties, Congress and BJP.
While Congress has already felt the impact of the AAP wave , the Narendera Modi juggernaut might get derailed as well. If AAP wins a respectable number of seats in both the houses of Parliament, it also will result in bringing to an end the business-political nexus and make the business environment more of a level playing field. Business houses for whom the ruling party did not matter, because they took care of both sides will find AAP a tougher nut to crack.
If the AAP is successful in achieving its goal for the elections, combined with the Supreme Court decision on convicted criminals not being able to serve in the legislature, the Right To Information , the Lokpal ( even in its diluted form ), you will see India changing. As a citizen I am looking forward to the next few years.
* http://avib-randomthoughts.blogspot.in/2013_10_01_archive.html
Interestingly enough the Bharitiya Janata Party " BJP" has gone public with corruption charges against the ruling Congress Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. The BJP in doing so, perhaps has forgotten the Biblical quote of "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone" It is now going to be a matter of time before the Congress retaliates, and throws dirt at some of the BJP party members.It is expected that AAP once it settles in will look into the major scandals such as the Commonwealth Games which were brushed under the carpet by the previous government. This will be just the start.
The AAP has also emboldened the cleaner members of the bureaucracy to report the activities of their corrupt colleagues. A TV channel India Today interviewed a bureaucrat from the Delhi Jal ( Water ) Board who said that on a yearly basis , the Board spent close to thirty million rupees on lunches for its senior management. That works out an astonishing amount of Rupees of Eighty two thousand per day. An amount large even by major corporate standards.
The AAP has now set its target on going national prior to the Parliamentary elections in the second quarter of this year, with a focus on the urban areas where it feels it has the highest level of support. On a daily basis, it has hundreds of thousands of people joining up and contributing to their campaign funds. Some prominent corporate executives have also signed up. This is clearly a sign that the country is fed up with the two major parties, Congress and BJP.
While Congress has already felt the impact of the AAP wave , the Narendera Modi juggernaut might get derailed as well. If AAP wins a respectable number of seats in both the houses of Parliament, it also will result in bringing to an end the business-political nexus and make the business environment more of a level playing field. Business houses for whom the ruling party did not matter, because they took care of both sides will find AAP a tougher nut to crack.
If the AAP is successful in achieving its goal for the elections, combined with the Supreme Court decision on convicted criminals not being able to serve in the legislature, the Right To Information , the Lokpal ( even in its diluted form ), you will see India changing. As a citizen I am looking forward to the next few years.
* http://avib-randomthoughts.blogspot.in/2013_10_01_archive.html
