It takes a lot of gumption and courage to float an independent
front in the presence of strong political outfits, which are way ahead
in terms of man power and bank balance. In this context, former
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), MP Navjot Singh Sidhu's decision to create
Aawaaz-e-Punjab along with ex-Indian hockey captain, Pargat Singh and
MLAs Simarjit Singh Bains and Balwant Singh Bains deserves a Thumbs Up.
So, neither is the former Indian cricketer joining Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) nor Congress. And he has scotched all rumours of returning to the BJP fold. Though, it's early days for the front, question marks on its viability are inevitable. With Congress, BJP-SAD and AAP on the field, Sidhu no doubt has tough competition coming his way. But that's a different question and only time will prove how deftly, the former MP, handles his adversaries.
But what's relevant here is whether Sidhu will go the AAP way? A man with a clean image who minces no words, Sidhu has a tough task ahead. Looking back, when Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal walked away from his mentor Anna Hazare's campaign against corruption, the reason he gave was that he needed a political platform to clean the system. Fair enough! His call was lapped up by people coming from various sections of the society including celebrities who got carried away by Kejriwal's oratory skills.
However, four years down the line, it's on same premises that Kejriwal is facing salvos from his rivals. One after another, his party men are making news for the wrong reasons, the latest being minister Sandeep Kumar who embarrassed Kejriwal and his party with a leaked video purportedly showing him in a compromising position with two women that resulted in his sacking.
Before that it was AAP's Punjab convener Succha Singh Chhotepur who was stripped of his post on charges of asking for money to give party tickets. The Kumar and Chhotepur incidents were preceded by AAP's Lok Sabha MP, Bhagwant Singh Mann's juvenile instincts that put the security of the Parliament at stake. Then there was Naresh Yadav who was arrested for insulting the Quran.
Contrast this to what Kejriwal envisaged when he gave birth to his party. The anti-corruption plank which brought him to the hot seat of the CM on two occasions, is now boomeranging on him. And add to it, the sex scandal and desecration charges, which denigrate his party at a time when Kejriwal is looking for a pan-India reach with his eyes set on Gujarat, Goa and Punjab (states slated to go the polling booths in the next two years). He certainly didn't research enough while setting up his house.
In the wake of Kejriwal's misery, it is important for Sidhu to tread a careful path while choosing his team. He may have been in politics for a while (he was even elected to the Lok Sabha from Amritsar in 2009 and was nominated to the Rajya Sabha this year), but in politics, blind faith dies a hundred death. As per a survey done after the 2014 Parliamentary elections, 34 per cent of Lok Sabha members would have criminal cases against them, (a jump from 30 in 2009 and 24 in 2004). According to an analysis by The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW) reported by the website Matters India, every third legislator in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala that went to the polls recently has a criminal background.
The situation is grim as Sidhu would know and despite PM Narendra Modi's call, "Na khaunga, na khane dunga," graft and the nexus between crime and politics are rampant. Apart from picking up the right people, Sidhu needs to develop a team work and instill inner-party democracy, instead of becoming an autocratic leader like Kejriwal, an allegation the latter faces. When two leaders of the repute of Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan were sidelined by Kejriwal, one saw the dictatorial side of the AAP convener. Time and again, his actions have only 'vindicated' his style of functioning that has come under severe criticism.
Sidhu should learn a thing or two from Kejriwal. After days of keeping us on tenterhooks (regarding his decision), Sidhu has finally put all speculations to rest and taken the biggest risk of his political career. Before announcing his future course of action and political alignments, Sidhu should first sit down to set his house in order.
And he has an advantage. Sidhu has a mass appeal courtesy his days as a cricketer, a no-nonsense attitude at the commentary box and ability to tickle the funny bone on TV. In one sense, he has the charisma, but it remains to be seen how far his aura puts him at the right place. On the political battle ground, you certainly need a lot more qualities to woo the electorate.
So, neither is the former Indian cricketer joining Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) nor Congress. And he has scotched all rumours of returning to the BJP fold. Though, it's early days for the front, question marks on its viability are inevitable. With Congress, BJP-SAD and AAP on the field, Sidhu no doubt has tough competition coming his way. But that's a different question and only time will prove how deftly, the former MP, handles his adversaries.
But what's relevant here is whether Sidhu will go the AAP way? A man with a clean image who minces no words, Sidhu has a tough task ahead. Looking back, when Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal walked away from his mentor Anna Hazare's campaign against corruption, the reason he gave was that he needed a political platform to clean the system. Fair enough! His call was lapped up by people coming from various sections of the society including celebrities who got carried away by Kejriwal's oratory skills.
However, four years down the line, it's on same premises that Kejriwal is facing salvos from his rivals. One after another, his party men are making news for the wrong reasons, the latest being minister Sandeep Kumar who embarrassed Kejriwal and his party with a leaked video purportedly showing him in a compromising position with two women that resulted in his sacking.
Before that it was AAP's Punjab convener Succha Singh Chhotepur who was stripped of his post on charges of asking for money to give party tickets. The Kumar and Chhotepur incidents were preceded by AAP's Lok Sabha MP, Bhagwant Singh Mann's juvenile instincts that put the security of the Parliament at stake. Then there was Naresh Yadav who was arrested for insulting the Quran.
Contrast this to what Kejriwal envisaged when he gave birth to his party. The anti-corruption plank which brought him to the hot seat of the CM on two occasions, is now boomeranging on him. And add to it, the sex scandal and desecration charges, which denigrate his party at a time when Kejriwal is looking for a pan-India reach with his eyes set on Gujarat, Goa and Punjab (states slated to go the polling booths in the next two years). He certainly didn't research enough while setting up his house.
In the wake of Kejriwal's misery, it is important for Sidhu to tread a careful path while choosing his team. He may have been in politics for a while (he was even elected to the Lok Sabha from Amritsar in 2009 and was nominated to the Rajya Sabha this year), but in politics, blind faith dies a hundred death. As per a survey done after the 2014 Parliamentary elections, 34 per cent of Lok Sabha members would have criminal cases against them, (a jump from 30 in 2009 and 24 in 2004). According to an analysis by The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW) reported by the website Matters India, every third legislator in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala that went to the polls recently has a criminal background.
The situation is grim as Sidhu would know and despite PM Narendra Modi's call, "Na khaunga, na khane dunga," graft and the nexus between crime and politics are rampant. Apart from picking up the right people, Sidhu needs to develop a team work and instill inner-party democracy, instead of becoming an autocratic leader like Kejriwal, an allegation the latter faces. When two leaders of the repute of Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan were sidelined by Kejriwal, one saw the dictatorial side of the AAP convener. Time and again, his actions have only 'vindicated' his style of functioning that has come under severe criticism.
Sidhu should learn a thing or two from Kejriwal. After days of keeping us on tenterhooks (regarding his decision), Sidhu has finally put all speculations to rest and taken the biggest risk of his political career. Before announcing his future course of action and political alignments, Sidhu should first sit down to set his house in order.
And he has an advantage. Sidhu has a mass appeal courtesy his days as a cricketer, a no-nonsense attitude at the commentary box and ability to tickle the funny bone on TV. In one sense, he has the charisma, but it remains to be seen how far his aura puts him at the right place. On the political battle ground, you certainly need a lot more qualities to woo the electorate.
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