Do they? Don’t they?

Do they? Don’t they? is my latest article at fuchha, please do rate it there , and any constructive feedback is most

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Valentine’s day just passed us by, the city was full of romance and hope,but soon after the day got over it probably witnessed a few (if not a lot of) broken hearts and relationships ending. One such romance that ended abruptly was that of AAP’s alliance in Delhi. Some might say it was a tragedy waiting to happen, due to crafty compatriots. After all, people for whom the highest calling has always been serving their own interests rather than those of the community could hardly be expected to back a party which is actually willing to serve. But let’s look back at the highlights and see what did Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP achieved and failed to achieve in their brief period in office.

Starting with the free water conundrum (I say conundrum because there was a hue and cry about the whole “free” affair). What really caught my attention was the great incentive for preservation. Quite frankly 700 lts a day is fair and more importantly, if majority of the city starts to keep themselves within the `free limit’ the water shortage problem will have at least one effective solution – less usage. But this is limited to independent meters only and there are no provisions for housing societies so one might say a little thought could have been put in that direction.

Moving on we have the reduced electricity rate. I don’t think electric subsidy should be the real point of attention here, rather one should talk about the audits being called on the distributors. Why? Well because the subsidy was anyways a temporary measure (as per AAP).Whereas it is the detailed study of the DISCOM’s books which would hold the answer to where the money flows. Also to be fair compared to the food security bill this isn’t exactly blowing that big a hole in the state’s pocket, so I don’t know what the hoopla is all about.

Now, addressing the elephant in the room –AK’s resignation over Jan Lokpal Bill. I find the whole incident both disturbing and inspiring. Disturbing because, `how could AAP not see this coming?’  It doesn’t exactly take a genius to see that the whole arrangement was a deal with the devil, given the nature of their allies and the intent of the opposition.A lot more planning (read convincing) was required on their part before trying to table the Bill. And inspiring because they did what they set out to do. I would have been happier had they completed the job but still how many CMs/ruling parties do we know which actually took the steps taken by him/them. They promised Delhiites something and did their best to deliver, and that to right from the day 1. Could things have been better if they didn’t have to run such a messed up combination?Maybe. Honestly, I don’t know. But personally I admire his stand for a firm Lokpal Bill without the center’s approval, and given that the center itself passed a very feeble version of the Bill, I seriously doubt there was a whole lot of choice.

And finally the million dollar question – “Should they be given another chance, with full majority?” Again it is not a query easily answered. They have shown the determination to deliver actively, something hitherto seen before, but that was without sufficient foresight and with (apparently) limited planning. They came good on their promises almost promptly (at least the ones that could be addressed in the short span) but maybe they were a little too prompt, maybe in too much of a hurry. They acted instead of just talking but,were those actions always in the right interests? These questions we all would have to deliberate upon and come to a conclusion which would serve well in the coming future.