Team Kejriwal promised a new politics. But for now,it is content to stoke cynicism about old political ways What have Arvind Kejriwal and his party-to-be achieved so far,after their formal foray into politics? They picked a high-value target in Robert Vadra,and by raising questions about his remarkable luck with real estate,they would appear to have framed an entire sorry way of doing business by coasting on connections. They have not yet proved any glaring illegality in the interactions between Vadra,the real estate behemoth DLF,and the Congress government in Haryana. And yet,the smear will probably stick because of the public disgust with powerful,chummy networks that are perceived to run politics and business. Very few are likely to give the benefit of the doubt to Vadra,DLF,or the Haryana government. In the process,Kejriwal has shown his political chops by taking on what many see to be a careful silence on Indias most powerful political family. And by sending its senior ministers to defend Sonia Gandhis son-in-law,the Congress may only have lent credence to suspicions that the might of the UPA edifice backs Vadra. Kejriwal,of course,is playing to his strengths. He is playing outsider to the hilt,and addressing himself squarely to the TV cameras that have been helpfully present,as they were through last year,even cheering his cause. Team Kejriwal has masterfully coopted the media,with teasers about the next episode,and rhetoric made for TV splashes. Of course,as they insist,the burden of proof is not on them they are not journalists or investigators or a court of law,and they are allowed to merely point to areas of reasonable doubt. Yet,there is a question for Team Kejriwal to mull: how many degrees of separation lie between unproved allegations and the full-throttle conspiracy-mongering that internet name-callers,anonymous or not,have perfected? The answer is crucial,especially for the credibility of the new politician and party. Kejriwal had positioned his party as the challenger to the mainstream parties and their rotten bargains. For all its new tactics,however,Team Kejriwal has been pursuing the same old targets,and may run up against the limits of this insurgency. India needs a politics that offers solutions,not one that identifies the problems and has nothing more to add. This was made clear when the Anna Hazare campaign lost its grip on the public imagination. It is also evident in the lack of enthusiastic response to Kejriwals stunts with power supply cables. Similarly,for the larger opposition parties,the tepid Bharat bandh demonstrated the limits of naysaying politics. Political parties,old and new,should consider the many things people want,rather than what they despise,and create a platform that seeks more than yes or no answers.
