Not Delhi, AAP’s Political Future Rests on Punjab Model

The Aam Admi Party has been ruling Delhi with an almost one-sided house for a full term and is into the middle of its second term.

The Aam Admi Party (AAP) loves to call itself the most successful political start-up of the country.

Whether one agrees with that expression or not, it is a fact that the party climbed swiftly the political ladder and has been ruling Delhi since 2013. Though it might interest the millennial generation to know that there have been faster and such start-ups in the past when the term 'start-up' was nowhere in circulation.

NT Rama Rao's Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) are earlier such political start-ups which formed government in their respective states within months of being launched. In fact, TDP candidates had to file nomination as independents as the party had not even received the mandatory 'recognition'. But that is a story for another day.

The Aam Admi Party has been ruling Delhi with an almost one-sided house for a full term and is into the middle of its second term. And this is not counting the first few months of its tenure when Arvind Kejriwal formed govt with the support of the Congress. It is the Delhi 'model' of governance which Kejriwal and his colleagues have been hard-selling to the voters in every election they contest, from next door Haryana to Punjab to Uttar Pradesh and as far away as Goa and Bengaluru.

Their USP being the running of schools, health facilities and other basic civic amenities. Not to speak of the water, power and transport freebies which political pundits consider to be AAP's biggest vote getters while opponents criticize as cheap gimmicks. The AAP entered the political arena with the promise of 'Nayi Rajneeti' (new age politics) which meant doing away with corruption and bringing the neta to the voters' doorsteps. The jury is still out on whether they have succeeded in ensuring this Nayi Rajneeti and opinions vary depending on which side of the political spectrum one stands.

Dozens of big names who joined Arvind Kejriwal's bandwagon as crusaders left him quite soon. But despite all the desertions and allegations flying thick and fast against their MLAs/ Ministers, the AAP did manage to win a complete landslide in Punjab. Though its efforts in other states have yielded quite disappointing results.

Even as his ministers continue to battle cases of corruption (ironically), the AAP is now ruling in two important states of North India. It also has ambitions of fighting the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assembly polls later this year party chief Kejriwal is already paying frequent visits to both the states. In most of his speeches, one hears talk of the Delhi model again and again.

But the Delhi Model can only be sold so far and no further. In terms of governance, Delhi is but half a state. A lot of commentators still refer to the Delhi state as nothing but a glorified municipality. While that may be a harsh connotation, the facts are that the Delhi govt has very little leverage to take decisions and run day to day affairs like govts in other states do. While the Delhi govt site lists at least 30 portfolios in its list of ministries, the reality is that the Delhi state can take independent decisions in just about half a dozen areas such as water, electricity, local bodies, urban shelter and transport.

In most other sectors, there is multiplicity of agencies and the central govt has the final say. Even health is not completely in the state's hands as the biggest hospitals are centre-run. Even in matters where the Delhi govt does have a say, the powers of the Lieutenant Governor are quite over-arching.

Most importantly, police or law and order rest completely with the Home Ministry. No wonder it has been a constant refrain of Arvind Kejriwal.

Therefore, the Delhi Model tom-tommed by AAP countrywide is a truncated or limited version of governance at the best. Hence, all eyes are now on the Bhagwant Mann govt in Punjab which is the first full-fledged state run by the Aam Admi Party. And it is not just any state. It is a state bordering our western neighbor Pakistan, a country whose raison d'etre is playing upon our faultlines and fomenting as much violence and unrest as possible. Punjab is a state which has witnessed untold violence and social tension three decades ago. It took immense effort and countless sacrifices to repair the social fabric and ensure peace.

On top of that the state is in a debt of humungous proportions. The corollary being that it is a state where the security, law and order, financial and other economic crises cannot be dumped on the doorstep of the Centre as in Delhi. Consequently, when Arvind Kejriwal and his party colleagues go to campaign in various states, they will be judged on their performance in Punjab, the first 'real' state in their hands and not Delhi.

With 19-odd murders in just a few weeks, extremely questionable fatal attacks on Kabaddi player Sandeep Sandhu, globally popular singer Shubhdeep Sidhu Moosewala and the audacious attack on the Intelligence headquarter, the Mann govt certainly hasn't covered itself in glory. One only hopes that this will end at the earliest or the Punjab Model may prove to be Arvind Kejriwal's nemesis.

(Smita Mishra writes on politics and current affairs)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of OneIndia and OneIndia does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.