IDEOLOGY AT STAKE – IS THE AAP THE PANACEA?

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inally the AAP has quit leaving a sigh of relief to all the major political parties in the country. In a country the political ideology has gone with the wind. The only political ideology in the country is to pay obeisance to the modern uni-polar God called the USA.  Having voted the AAP to power in the NCT Delhi, the Brahmin controlled media was jubilant. As joyous as when the Pushya Mitra Sungha killed Dhana Nanda the last heir to the Nanda dynasty. An incident went unnoticed in the history of India but pointed out by Baba Saheb Ambedkar.

Within ten months the same media is dissatisfied with AAP. It started painting it as “anarchists”, “lawless crowd”(the later in the wisdom of Kiran Bedi the first Lady IPS officer now taken refuge under the most male dominated political party BJP.

AAP is the illegal child of dependent capitalism and liberalization fused with Brahmanism.  A political party born out of anti-corruption campaign is the vindication of lack of political ideology in the party AAP. Those who backed AAP as the national alternative to corrupt Congress and saffron BJP are thinking twice now.

The Congress has a clear cut ‘ideology’ from the Nehruvian “Fabian Socialism” and Tata-Mahlanobis Bombay Plan of mixed economy. The five year plans is the poor replica from the union of soviet Russia on the state capitalism. What the socialist china reaps in the market oriented economy, congress endeavors to achieve without a socialist revolution.  Hence, the urban, English educated middle and upper middle classes are the backbone of the party with the liberal support of the Muslims and Dalits. In field of economics it has not grown out of the WTO.

In the post disintegration of the USSR, and the ear of uni-polar world dominated by the USA, the hereditary ideology of the congress is put to severe stress and lost the core of its ideology. “Garibhi Hatao” (abolition of poverty) made the turn around “Garibh ko Hatao” (abolition of the poor). Hence, the congress has jettisoned its ideology in early 90’s when M M Singh was the Finance Minister of the country.

As far as the BJP is concerned, it could not keep the communal agenda brazenly but in most stealthy ways. Having once ruled the country, it has learnt that the saffron ideology can not be sold directly and has to dilute it. The only slogan of Ram Mandir was put in to ‘see later’ list. Poor Ram even he is not spared by BJP to cheat besides multitudes of people of the hindi belt who could not differentiate between rustic piety and rabid communalism. The vote base of BJP is also clearly defined, the urban Hindi jingoists, the lumpen elements of Hindutva, the feudal lords, petty and big traders, the “nationalist big business, the sadhus and sanyasis.  

The Indian voters split between the centrist-left and rabid right positions long for an alternative.

The communist parties have lost their ideology long back when the CPI faced the split in the party on the issue of Telengana armed struggle. They could never plant themselves in the traditional cow belt where the casteism is stronger than communism. They could survive only in those states where social reformation and changes have taken place. Kerala, TN, Andhra and West Bengal are the states some social changes have been initiated by non-political leaders. In kerala, Narayana Guru, Iyyan Kali ; in TN EVR Periyar, Anna Durai. In Andhra and West Bengal the communist have initiated some social changes. Except in Kerala and West Bengal they are not a force to reckon with. In TN and AP they have to piggy back the regional parties to cling on the assembly/council.

The regional parties are playing dominant role in the state and central politics. The back ward castes have shot in to limelight due to the social change taken place in the rural India. The tenants and tillers have become owners of the land and the green revolution catapulted them to economic power. As a result they started wielding political power in many states of the country. Therefore, their ideology is deeply rooted in the economic development of the state. Except in J&K and TN, the other states have been pressing for greater financial assistance for implementation of economic projects.

Finally the dalit political parties have made themselves a laughing stock. The basic and core ideology of Baba Saheb have been thrown to wind. Opportunism and selfishness have been the guiding factor in these parties. The irony of dalits supporting the hindutva party has taken place in Maharashtra, the birth state of Baba Saheb. BSP swears by Ambedkar but does all that is anti-dalit in the name of strategy.

Having briefly seen the erosion of political ideology of all the established political parties let us turn our attention to the NGOs who went to rural India to learn from the masses. These are the off-shoots of the development decade I and II of the UNO and mushroomed all over the country. The Indian state made use to the NGOs to weaken the naxalbari movement that was taking a definite shape. To prevent spread of armed struggle by the naxalbaris, the centre encouraged the educated urban and rural youth to turn to NGOs. Having minted enormous money, they let the ideology to with the wind. The stopped reading further and turned a blind eye to the dialectical process of thesis-antithesis-synthesis. With their shallow reading of Marx, Lenin and Mao, they made themselves derisive in the local area.

In TN alone some 9000 NGOs were operating a decade ago. Occasionally they used to indulge in local politics in favour of dalits/oppressed/minorities. Their involvement helped precipitation of the crisis so that the district administration rushed to intervene. However, the ideological status of the mentors of these NGOs is questionable. Despite some groups who are rooted deep in ideology, many others were primarily gone for self development in the name of rural development.

In the words of Antonio Gramsci (Prison Notes), they filled in the gap of traditional leaders in rural areas sans ideology. This validates the intention of NGOs in dabbling in national politics and the involvement of persons like Christina Samy – the ex nun now married and settled with Samy in Tiruchy area. This also explains the bankruptcy of the ideology among the NGOs and lack of analysis and cultural understanding. Eg. Arvind Kejriwal being a north Indian of origin and ex IRS officer, questions the release of the ‘killers of Rajiv Gandhi’. What would be the position of Christina Samy in such an emotional and cultural scenario? While the learned Tamils are questioning the very scope and direction of the CBI in one particular direction to criminalize LTTE on the Indian soil and ignore all other possible leads already pointed out by the Jain Commission which has suggested to probe the role of two swamis in the case – Chandra swami and Subramanian Swami, the north Indians are amazed at the ‘sympathy’ of the ‘killers of former PM’.

In this background the following questions arise and these are addressed to the NGOs

1.        Whether AAP can alter the nature of the “state” of India from pro-brahmanic, pro-hindutva, pro-urban, pro-capitalist, English educated pan-India ethnic group?

2.        Whether a revolution can be banished (communist parties kindly forgive) if AAP is voted to power in the centre?

3.        Whether AAP can lead the country towards a structural change ?

4.        Whether India a prison for persecuted nationalities status will be changed?

5.        Whether the three direct wings of the ‘state’ legislature, executive and judiciary can act against the status quo?

6.        Whether the indirect wings of the ‘state’ education, religion, philosophy, theology, culture, mass media, trade unions, political parties, armed forces, police, para military forces, will ever allow change in the status quo?

7.        Whether AAP can dethrone Brahmanism, semi capitalism, and semi feudalism from power?

Further, what is the understanding of the multi religious, multi ethnic, multi lingual, multi racial pluralistic society like India and the factors conducive for social and political change in India?

Hence, the NGOs intellectuals and intelligentsia must think twice before jumping the band wagon of AAP which is only cosmetic in nature in a country of skewed incomes, ever increasing gap between the poor and the rich.  if any one pretends that AAP is for social change better watch them again. Any blind support would be a historical blunder.

Therefore, a party based on a strong cadre (nationality, culture and language) and a clear cut political ideology founded by the peasants and workers, the middle classes and the intellectuals of the region only can lead. That day many such parties shall lead the forces and break the Bastille prison called India and liberate the imprisoned nationalities and ring the death knell of Brahmanism, capitalism and feudalism.

N D PORUNAI VALAVAN

CHENNAI 23