Interview: Kejriwal leads by example, says Gul Panag

May 10, 2014

Film star turned politician Gul Panag has been campaigning in Varanasi for her party leader Arvind Kejriwal. She is widely expected to do well in her Lok Sabha seat in Chandigarh where she was up against former Union Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal and actress Kirron Kher. In this wide-ranging interview she talks of her road ahead in public life, her party and leader Arvind Kejriwal.

Q. How different was the heat and dust of the elections, compared to show business?

A. An electoral battle is not just a battle for the hearts and minds of people but also of the hopes and aspirations of the same people. It brings with it immense responsibility. There can’t be and shouldn’t be a comparison between this and the reel world.

Q. Who was the tougher opponent in Chandigarh: Pawan Bansal or Kirron Kher?

A. This wasn’t and isn’t a fight between individuals. This a fight between ideologies- on one hand there’s a challenger to the status quo that our electoral politics is reduced to and on the other hand are two parties that are products of this very status quo.

Q. What made you make up your mind to jump into the electoral fray?

A. I was sympathetic to AAP, but was content to sit on the sidelines. It was the withdrawal of Ms (Savita) Bhatti that made me take the plunge and apply for the ticket, from a city I have always considered home.

Q. Can you please list out five things you will like to change if you reach the Lok Sabha.

A. I will remain strongly committed to implementing the AAP manifesto and conscientiously working for the people of Chandigarh. Unfortunately decades of bad governance and corruption has left us in no position to limit reform to five things alone as we are faced with complex problems that stand to erode the very foundation of our democracy.

Q. Critics have questioned AAP’s style of functioning of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), particularly its decision to quite the Delhi government.

A. AAP is a young, reformist movement. Undoubtedly it has used means and styles hitherto unexplored in electoral politics. It’s this non-conformist approach that makes those who are part of the herd, question AAP. There can be many interpretations of the events of the last few months, including the manner in which the Delhi government was formed. India’s political climate is rapidly changing and looking forward is more productive than analysing the actions of a party barely two years old. If we must analyse the past, then its far more critical that we examine how the mainstream entrenched parties have reduced and nurtured Indian democracy to mere electoral democracy, or how their past collective actions have insured that we are one of the lowest ranking nations in the human development index!

Q. How does Gul Panag rate the following: Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal.

A. Mr Modi appears to be a man who doesn’t like his authority & leadership questioned or challenged. Mr Gandhi is yet to display leadership or authority, perhaps biding his time to rise to the occasion. Mr Kejriwal leads by example and is an illustration of “be the change you want to see”.

Q. How do you think the AAP will perform in the Lok Sabha elections, how many seats approximately nationwide? Also will like to know your predictions for Punjab, it is being reported that AAP is doing well.

A. There is a huge undercurrent favoring AAP in Punjab. I’m confident that the we will garner 20% of the vote share in the state. With regard to Lok Sabha performance, I can definitely say that AAP in its maiden Lok Sabha election will win more seats than the BJP did in 1984.

Q. You have toured a lot apart from your own seat, how big is the factor of corruption playing a role?

A. Corruption is the single point issue that comes up when one talks to voters. And that if corruption can be curbed, existing schemes and policies are capable of alleviating the other issues we face, including but not limited to ensuring equitable and adequate access to public education, public healthcare and sanitation.

Q. Irrespective of the electoral results, will it be a long haul for the vivacious Gul Panag, or like some film stars will she fade away from the heat of politics?

A. I’ll let time and my actions answer that. However, I’d like to encourage you to think beyond just film stars who’ve “faded away from politics” and also include many others from professions as diverse as medicine, law, journalism and even full time politics who have not stayed the full course.

- This story was first published in www.thepoliticalindian.com on May 10, 2014

Varanasi campaign: Its Modi’s “paalaks” versus Kejriwal’s “buzz teams” 

May 7, 2014

Varanasi: Inside Varanasi’s campaign war rooms, it’s a face-off between the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) strength and the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) dedication. The BJP is hoping to produce a landslide victory for its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, by leveraging its greater finacnes, the “wave” in favor of its candidate, the tactical acumen of Amit Shah and the foot soldiers of the Sangh Parivar. But the AAP hopes to pull off a stunning upset, powered by its young, enthusiastic volunteers, and the charisma of its leader Arvind Kejriwal.

Is the BJP overconfident?

Inside Sevashram, a swanky high-rise building at the busy Sigra crossing in the heart of Varanasi, the BJP’s election managers are working to ensure Narendra Modi’s smooth march to Delhi. Apart from Sevashram, the party also runs a media centre from the posh Hotel Surya on the Mall Road.
Amit Shah, according to BJP leaders, micromanages the campaign, taking keen interest in the areas covered, booth level management and developments in the opposition camp. His closest aides are a group of BJP leaders from Gujarat.

The IT cell, at Sevashram, is the most vital part of the building and has restricted access. There are party workers monitoring social media, chalking out ways to handle the negative campaigns against the BJP, looking at newsbreaks and profiling voters. Volunteers from the Indian Institute of Technology and the Benaras Hindu University have shored up the team.

The Sevashram building is the control room not only for Varanasi, but also the 13 other seats in the eastern UP or the Kashi region; however, the hoardings and the banners speak only of Narendra Modi. While Sevashram is all hustle and bustle with party men and supporters, the building covered with a festive look and party flags, the media centre cannot be identified upfront unless you ask the security guard at the gate of the posh Surya Hotel. The mood here borders on overconfidence: rather than being concerned about Varanasi, they are more keen to discuss results in Bihar, in Delhi, and the national picture.

“It’s only the victory margin which is being discussed,” said Anil Baluni, a former Uttarakhand minister. “Kejriwal will get his political moksha here. He can only make noise as he knows no one will bother for him if he works silently. He stages attacks on himself, he is exposed.”

The booth management of the Sangh Parivar affiliates is what the BJP is counting on, the cadre galvanized by the nomination of Narendra Modi. Their polling booth sanyojaks (conveners) and paalaks (caretakers) are already in place, well before the city goes to polls. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has over 300 shakhas (units) in Varanasi, with a strong presence of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal, Durga Vahini and Bharat Vikas Parishad.

AAP’s campaign buzz

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has a low-key war room in Shivaji Nagar, not too far from the BJP’s plush Sevashram office. A team of 15 activists, a mix of locals and outsiders, man the building. Large posters of Arvind Kejriwal greet you at the building. The man himself visits the office once in a while, as he has been busy campaigning across the constituency.

One of the oldest AAP hands, Ankit Lal, heads the social media team. In a morning meeting they chalk out what trends are to be promoted on Twitter, what posts will go on Facebook, what the talking points of the day are. With AAP’s resources stretched in countering Narendra Modi’s glitzy campaign, people like Mr Lal also double up as street campaigners for their leader Arvind Kejriwal. Mr Lal was one of the AAP members who were assaulted by alleged BJP supporters on 29 April near Assi ghat.

“On the day Ankit and others were thrashed by the BJP people, we had to work very hard to counter the BJP on social media,” said one of the team members. “The BJP had spread a rumor on social media that the AAP activists were thrashed by locals as they were caught drunk. This rumor got strength after a journalist wrote on his handle confirming the same. We proved it to them that this was false and the journalist finally had to apologize for his tweet.” To maximize their reach on the internet, the social media team coordinates with sympathizers and activists across the country and even abroad, to ensure that their message reaches far and wide.

The party claims to have around 1,200 volunteers working in Varanasi, apart from those who visit for a few days before returning to base. AAP has formed “buzz teams” for the urban pockets, which comprises of the activists who come in for a few days or a week. Around 60 members of the buzz team are divided into 15 teams of four each, comprising one local and three outsiders.

“Locals know the area and the dialect quite well, they connect better,” said a campaign strategist. “At the same time the outsiders keep a check on the local members, who by nature are talkative and are in the habit of long debates and arguments when it comes to politics. They can even discuss Obama for a whole day.”

Going simply by organizational capacity and resources, the Modi versus Kejriwal battle looks weighed towards the former. But the latter’s strategists are putting their hope on what they see a campaign with a more personal touch. With only a few days to go, can Arvind Kejriwal’s greenhorn buzz teams outdo the entrenched pracharaks of Narendra Modi?

- This story was first published in www.thepoliticalindian.com on May 7, 2014

Interview: Ajai Rai: Varanasi insider hopes to beat Modi and Kejriwal 

May 1, 2014

Varanasi: In the most watched contest of the world’s largest elections, there is one Varanasi insider who hopes to beat two larger-than-life national leaders. The Congress party’s Ajai Rai is a five-time MLA and local strongman: he says that neither Narendra Modi and Arvind Kejriwal know the pulse and the people of this historic city, only he does.

On a sweltering morning I joined him in Vidyapeeth block on the fringes of the city, where he was on a door-to-door campaign. Sipping on the sweet, milky tea with some residents, Mr Rai was the consummate local, the one candidate who knows many of his voters by name. But the challenge for him is converting this personal familiarity into votes, against two opponents whose familiarity come through television and their national stature.

Ajai Rai’s campaign has been bolstered by the support of jailed local don Mukhtar Ansari, who commands a sizable chunk of the city’s 300,000 strong Muslim vote. Mr Ansari and Mr Rai have been sworn enemies, with Mr Ansari even accused of killing Mr Rai’s brother Avadesh. But this week Mr Ansari said he was supporting Mr Rai to prevent Narendra Modi from winning the seat. Mr Rai says he does not need Mr Ansari’s support.

These are edited excerpts from the interview with Ajai Rai on his campaign trail.

On the local anti-incumbency

“The results of Varanasi will stun everyone,” Mr Rai told me. “I am a local and know the city and its people. I am with them when they need me. Varanasi is tired of the outsiders, we want to do away with the parachute MP culture; I will put an end to this culture.”

From the side, one of his supporters chipped in: “What did Murli Manohar Joshi (Varanasi’s outgoing MP) do for us?” he complained. “See the roads of the city, there is no garbage management, he knew he will lose from the seat and that’s why he fled. Mr Rai is a dhartiputra (son of the soil) and he will maul his opponents, the city now hates outsiders.”

Even as his party battles a national anti-incumbency, Mr Rai is hoping to cash in on what his supporters claim is a local anti-incumbency against the BJP. “The MP of the city belonged to BJP, the mayor is from the BJP, they have MLAs here, but where is the development?” he asked. “Modi talks about development. If you want to see development, go to my constituency (Pindra, which was Kolasla before delimitation), you will come to know. No outsider can understand the need of this city, I belong to the city and know what needs to be done.”


On Manmohan Singh’s absence from his hoardings

The huge hoardings put up by the Congress candidate has pictures of himself, and the Gandhi family (Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka) but the prime minister is conspicuously missing from the posters. Mr Rai, when he was quizzed on this, first tried to shrug it off, and later gave a vague reply.

“The party president and the vice president are the public face and they have bigger appeal with voters,” he said. “We also have some campaign material with the pictures of the PM. But yes, the hoarding focus on the leaders who have a direct connect with the electorate.”

He is also hoping for some star power to come to his help. “Priyanka Gandhi is also likely to come to Varanasi and that would have a great impact on the elections and the electorate,” he added.

On Modi: “I am not a helicopter neta”

“Have you seen how the BJP prime minister candidate dresses, the brand of watch he wears?” he asked. “They have pumped in a lot of money. Why does the media showing only Narendra Modi, there must be some reason behind it?”

The Congress candidate hardly does any jansabhas as he thinks they don’t have any effect. “I prefer one-on-one meetings with workers and people, that has a lot of impact,” he said. “My personal meetings with the people of the city has laid a strong foundation, I prefer engagement with the people rather than a one sided speech from the stage. I am not a helicopter neta who speaks from the stage and flies off.”

On Arvind Kejriwal: “He is not a factor”

“Kejriwal is here just to make things easy for Modi by dividing the minority votes,” he said, speaking on the Aam Aadmi Party leader’s foray into the city. “He is not a factor here, his attempt will fail. He knows nothing about the city and runs his campaign on the advice of a handful of people. I challenge him to name even ten roads, ghats or villages.”

On the Muslim vote: “They are yet to make up their mind”

“They will take a decision only after the first week of May it seems and will go with the candidate who is strongest against Modi,” said Mr Rai. “And I think they know who that is.”

He added that Mukhtar Ansari, the Quami Ekta Dal leader who has now thrown his weight behind him, does not command much influence over the Muslim vote. “I don’t need him by my side,” he said. “The voters will speak.”

Mr Rai also shrugged off media reports of his alleged involvement in gunrunning and connections with the now jailed former MP of Siwan Mohammad Sahabuddin. “It’s a conspiracy of the BJP,” he retorted. “The report one channel talked off is quite old and if I was named why was no action taken against me.”

- This story was first published in www.thepoliticalindian.com on May 1, 2014

Interview: Mayank Gandhi of the Aam Aadmi Party

April 25, 2014

Mumbai: Mayank Gandhi is the Aam Aadmi Party’s candidate from the Mumbai Northwest seat and heads the party’s Maharasthra wing. He was a key member of the India Against Corruption movement that catapulted Arvind Kejriwal and his team into the limelight. Earlier he had also been a member of the Lok Satta Party and worked with several NGOs.

Q. Opinion polls are not giving too many seats to the Aam Aadmi Party in the Lok Sabha elections. What’s your assessment of AAP’s chances?

A. We all know opinion polls are managed and controlled. We hope to surprise the psephologists like we did in Delhi. There is a phenomenal undercurrent of anger against traditional & tainted parties. This time it will translate more into votes against them and their religious\caste biases.

Q. But many people are questioning AAP’s decision to quit the Delhi government after 49 days. Will it affect the party’s performance?

A. Some people who are exposed to the media onslaught against AAP have questions. But once we explain that this sacrifice has been made for long term institutional reforms like Janlokpal, they are coming back. We make it our duty to answer any doubts caste in the minds of the electorals with absolute honesty and its this integrity on our part is making us a strong force to reckon with.

Q. Do you miss the presence of Anna Hazare from the campaign, especially in Maharashtra?

A. Absolutely. But we do need to learn to be without him.

Q. Allegations have been made that AAP can’t rule, it is anarchist, you have been called as urban naxals, how do you react to them?

A. AAP’s 49 days in government was one of the best in terms of result. Corruption was rooted out, 12 out of 18 manifesto points were finished, if this is not governance, what is? Replacing the bad governance with Swaraj, a non-violent form of anarchy will challenge and disrupt power centers and turn India into a participating democracy.

Q. Several people have broken away from AAP after the historic performance in Delhi? People have been leaving the party with serious allegations on Mr. Arvind Kejriwal and some other leaders.

A. Every growing & dynamic party will have people leaving and joining,especially when there are limited seats & multiple contenders.

Q. You are the face of the party in Mumbai and Maharashtra, and you are locked in a tough four-cornered electoral battle. Does that put pressure on you?

A. It’s the first election for me, but the people’s support has been tremendous. We have some excellent volunteers who are working hard at the back office and relieving pressure of me.

Q. Rakhi Sawant is also contesting from the same seat. Your comments.

A. She does not seem like a serious contender.

- This story was first published in www.thepoliticalindian.com on April 25, 2014

BJP plans Delhi coup after 16 May

April 17, 2014

Delhi: While India is busy voting for the Lok Sabha, BJP managers in Delhi are planning an attempt to form the next state government in the national capital after the general elections are over. Sources in BJP say they are in touch with some Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs, who may resign from the legislature or throw their weight with the BJP after the parliamentary elections. The BJP, which had won 32 seats earlier, would push itself into majority with their support.

“Yes, it’s natural, there will be an attempt to form a government in Delhi after results of the general elections,” confirmed a spokesperson. “No one wants fresh elections, including AAP MLA’s. Also Arvind Kejriwal’s halo is fading and his party legislators realize that.”

BJP’s plan hinges on two Lok Sabha results going in its favor: the seven seats in Delhi and the head-to-head battle between Narendra Modi and Arvind Kejriwal in Varanasi. If they get four or more seats in Delhi and Narendra Modi wins Varanasi, the BJP will claim a moral right to then go ahead and engineer the defections from AAP, while Arvind Kejriwal will be at his most vulnerable.

“We think we are winning Delhi six-one, and if we do that the tide will turn in our favor,” said the BJP spokesperson. Another BJP leader gave further details: several Aam Aadmi Party MLA’s may go the Vinod Kumar Binny way and force AAP to oust them, or they could well resign and push the BJP into a majority. Delhi’s BJP leaders are now waiting with anticipation for the results on 16 May: any overt move before that could harm its Lok Sabha chances, and instructions have come right from the top to lie low till the Lok Sabha results are announced.

But the Aam Aadmi Party is banking on the anti-defection law to stop the BJP from preying on its MLAs. Their leader Manish Sisodia said that the BJP’s dreams of forming the Delhi government will remain unfulfilled. “They can’t do it unless 18 MLAs decide to resign and form a new party,” he said.

AAP’s strategic blunder?

With most opinion polls predicting bleak results for the Aam Admi Party in the Lok Sabha elections, and its MLAs now vulnerable to BJP’s poaching, many are wondering if the party committed a strategic blunder by resigning from the Delhi government after 49 days in power. Arvind Kejriwal has already admitted that his decision to quit did not go well with the public, and now his party stands to lose out even more if the BJP’s plans fall into place.

But what he seems to have overlooked is that the decision to form the Delhi government in the first place was his biggest strategic mistake. Till then the AAP was a successful guerilla movement that has shaken up the status quo: it had done unexpectedly well in the Delhi elections, and seemed to have all the momentum and middle-class support. It had managed to paint the BJP and Congress with the same brush to a great extent, particularly on corruption and campaign finance.

But once the guerilla movement became the establishment, its charm seemed to evaporate. Without a majority in the Delhi assembly the Kejriwal government failed to pass its signature legislations, its minsters got embroiled in controversies, and the BJP got an opportunity to project it as the B-team of the Congress. When Kejriwal decided to resign, it seemed that he was shirking responsibility, that he was trying to scale up AAP to the national level too soon, without having the resources to do so. Barring major surprises on 16 May, in a matter of a few months the Aam Aadmi Party can go from being a hot political start-up to one whose future is uncertain.

BJP rides the wave

AAP’s performance in Delhi had shaken the BJP campaign, which was till then going to plan. It had found itself on the backfoot to AAP’s guerilla strategy for a while, with AAP’s high moral posturing making it impossible for the BJP to engineer defections at that time to form a government in Delhi.

But now, with opinion polls predicting its best performance ever in the Lok Sabha, and if many Delhi voters stick to their stated position of “Kejriwal as chief minister and Modi as prime minister”, the BJP will have the upper hand in causing defections in the AAP ranks to form a government in Delhi.
One of two things can change this scenario: AAP winning more Lok Sabha seats than BJP in Delhi, or Arvind Kejriwal beating Narendra Modi in Varanasi. Neither task will be easy.

- This story was first published in www.thepoliticalindian.com on April 17, 2014