If you want to find fault with someone it is very easy.. Especially when you claim that you are holier than thou, it becomes even more easier...
Yesterday AVAM (AAP Volunteer Action Manch) reported that some of the donations to AAP are from dubious companies. BJP and Congress both receives bulk of their donations in cash, but that doesn't matter.
AAP's defense is that everyone is bad. Wasn't that the reason why they were formed? If you agree that you are one among them, AAP loses its USP. Which is what has happened now. AAP is also questioning the fact that the folks from AVAM are now in BJP but that is not an issue. What is the point in shooting the messenger.
This is well crafted move by BJP which is really under pressure to win the Delhi elections as many have claimed that this is their first real fight after the last year's general elections. Also the induction of Kiran Bedi as the CM candidate of BJP has not worked as they had expected. She was brought in to get the clean image and she being someone from the same IAC group was expected to give them the extra boost. However, her not so polished way of talking in public has not really helped the cause (which has also forced the BJP to enforce a gag order on her).
BJP pressed the panic button and brought in many ministers and MPs to campaign. Their asking 5 questions is good publicity but the questions being asked are pretty childish.
AAP's primary vote bank is the poor people which will not be hugely swayed by this recent issue. The middle class voters might move away from them.
Coming back to the topic of discussion, the funds and the dubious nature of the companies that has given the donations -
AAP started of as a party with difference which is what caught the fancy of the people and got them a huge vote base in Delhi. They came to power, thanks the Nirbhaya case, commonwealth games scam and not in small measure the protest that Anna Hazare led. Sheila Dixit government over the 15 years did lots of good work for Delhi but the incidents just prior to 2013 elections, mentioned above, helped AAP establish themselves. However, power got to their heads and they gave up the Delhi Government and contested the general elections in the whole entire country. This election in case they lose, is going to be a huge problem for them. It will become another Lok Paritran - not that I will miss them a lot if that happens.
Yesterday AVAM (AAP Volunteer Action Manch) reported that some of the donations to AAP are from dubious companies. BJP and Congress both receives bulk of their donations in cash, but that doesn't matter.
AAP's defense is that everyone is bad. Wasn't that the reason why they were formed? If you agree that you are one among them, AAP loses its USP. Which is what has happened now. AAP is also questioning the fact that the folks from AVAM are now in BJP but that is not an issue. What is the point in shooting the messenger.
This is well crafted move by BJP which is really under pressure to win the Delhi elections as many have claimed that this is their first real fight after the last year's general elections. Also the induction of Kiran Bedi as the CM candidate of BJP has not worked as they had expected. She was brought in to get the clean image and she being someone from the same IAC group was expected to give them the extra boost. However, her not so polished way of talking in public has not really helped the cause (which has also forced the BJP to enforce a gag order on her).
BJP pressed the panic button and brought in many ministers and MPs to campaign. Their asking 5 questions is good publicity but the questions being asked are pretty childish.
AAP's primary vote bank is the poor people which will not be hugely swayed by this recent issue. The middle class voters might move away from them.
Coming back to the topic of discussion, the funds and the dubious nature of the companies that has given the donations -
- AAP has to accept their mistake of not doing a proper due-diligence of the person giving the funds - In case they are hiding any ill-gotten funds in such way then they are proving that all political parties are the same - I hope that is not the case. That will help in getting back some of the sheen that has been lost
- Running a political party in India and compete elections is not easy. With the practice of getting cash for casting votes it is becoming even more expensive. There needs to be more transparency in the funding process. Most of the funds that parties receive is primarily from business people. I would like to quote an incident that Shekhar Gupta had mentioned about recently, when Suresh Prabhu was sacked as Minister from the Vajpayee government it seems that Shekhar asked Bal Thackeray the real reason for for his sacking for which Thackeray had responded after much persistence that he has to run a party and what is the point in having a minister if I cannot get money for the party :).
- People give donations to parties for two reasons - To get something in return or as response to some thing bad they had already done. Either way it is bad.
AAP started of as a party with difference which is what caught the fancy of the people and got them a huge vote base in Delhi. They came to power, thanks the Nirbhaya case, commonwealth games scam and not in small measure the protest that Anna Hazare led. Sheila Dixit government over the 15 years did lots of good work for Delhi but the incidents just prior to 2013 elections, mentioned above, helped AAP establish themselves. However, power got to their heads and they gave up the Delhi Government and contested the general elections in the whole entire country. This election in case they lose, is going to be a huge problem for them. It will become another Lok Paritran - not that I will miss them a lot if that happens.
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