APP’s credibility shattered

The sting operation carried against the five Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) prominent leaders has exposed everything before the public. The video of sting operation, which was played out on every news channel clearly shows that the AAP leaders are no different from other political leaders against whom they never get tired of making caustic remarks in public. AAP boss Arvind Kejriwal who always talked big things and claimed honesty in public life is its chief characteristics, now behaves nothing different from other political parties when his own leaders were shown allegedly taking money in hard cash from the undercover reporter in sting operation. He has defended in same when faced with corruption as the other political party leaders do. Instead of taking action against the AAP leaders who were shown on national TV screens taking money in the sting operation, the AAP party has defended them. It has asked Election Commission to go into the allegations against its leaders. It appears that the AAP considers itself as moral trend setter and whatever it says is right and all others are wrong. Undoubtedly, hardly in its one year of life, it has gained enormous popularity in Delhi and it had become a real challenge for the two measure political parties- Congress and BJP, but the sting operation against its leaders has exposed the hollowness about its claim of honesty and integrity in public life. In the first instance, Delhiites believed AAP leaders' claim about honesty and probity in public life amidst the all round moral and ethical degeneration in political class, but the sting operation against its leaders has damaged its credibility badly and now it stands nowhere in the coming assembly elections in Delhi. Delhiites have come to realize that AAP too is no different in anyway from the Congress and the BJP. AAP boss used to say that all political leaders across the party line are corrupt, criminal minded and betrayer except he and his leaders. If the AAP boss Arvind Kejriwal had taken immediate action against all those party leaders who were shown to be talking about illegal practice with undercover reporter in the sting operation, his image would have unscathed. With the disclosure of malpractices being carried out by the five AAP leaders in the sting operation, the way AAP boss showed adopting dilly-dallying approach about the immediate action makes him no different from others. AAP should have immediately taken against its leaders against whom the allegation of corruption has been made in the sting operation. Delhiites had expected that AAP leaders would behave in a much better way than the leaders of other political parties. But now when AAP's acts are no different in any way from others in the case of corruption, Delhiites’ hope has been dashed to the ground, and now it stands no chance in Delhi assembly elections.

Moral degeneration all pervasive

All types of charges have already been slapped against Legislative and Executive and the faith of the people in these two pillars of democracy have already been shaken only because moral degeneration is all pervasive in them. With the sexual assault charge by a law intern against the judge of the apex court and the same charge by a fellow woman colleague against a reputed Editor Tarun Tejpal of English news magazine Tehelka both representing the judiciary and the press respectively, the faith of the people in these two pillars has also been broken. They were so far above all suspicions. A junior woman journalist of Tehelka news magazine has levelled charges of sexual assault and rape against the founder editor Tarun Tejpal in Goa, which is mentioned in her email to Magazine’s Managing Editor. Tejpal always claimed to uncover whatever illegalities going on in society, politics and government. But the sexual assault charge against him is a matter of shock and shame for the people as well as media fraternity. Being an editor of repute, Tarun Tejpal was always expected to take moral high ground. After the charge of sexual assault, Tehelka Editor Tarun Tejpal became the judge himself and pronounced punishment to undergo penance and leave from the duty for six months because his conscience started biting him for his wrong doing. He mentioned all this in his email to managing Editor of the newsmagazine. The managing editor did not consider the letter to be sent to the police immediately she received from the aggrieved journalists in which charge of sexual assault and rape against the Editor Tarun Tejpal is enlisted. It means that the attempt was made by the management of the news magazine and Managing Editor Shoma Choudhary to hush up the case and treat it as magazine's official matter. This is lawfully wrong. Managing Editor should have sent the letter of the woman staffer to Goa police as the incident took place on November 7 and 8 in the lift of a starred hotel during literature festival organized by the Magazine. Tarun Tejpal is one of the most senior editors of the nation. He has been a known figure of media. If the media personality like Tarun Tejpal could fall so low and forget how to protect the dignity of woman in general and woman staffer of his news magazine in particular, what we can expect from other media men. His alleged behaviour with the woman staffer is not only a slur on his face but also on the entire media. Media has been known to speak against any kind of injustice in society. If media men behave in an idiotic manner, what others would emulate from it. Since the magazine’s editor has done wrong, he must be arrested immediately by the Goa police and there must not be any political interference in the case under question.

Race for election promises

There is a race for making election promises to Delhiites between the ruling Congress party and the new entrant in frays the Aam Aadmi Party in the assembly polls. APP is opposed to the opposition BJP as well the ruling Congress in Delhi polls. The main opposition BJP is yet to release its manifesto and follow the suit. There is every possibility that BJP will also tread the same path of making big promises without saying how to keep them when it would come to power. Both Congress and AAP have released their populist manifestos and have made promises to Delhiites to bring the Moon for them. Congress party has been making promises after promises for the last 15 years. It would have hardly kept 25 percent of its promises in the last 15 years. As this is the first year of elections for AAP, it is new and inexperienced in the art of hoodwinking the Delhiites. AAP in its manifesto has made promises to reduce the electricity bill to half and give water free to a certain quantity if elected to power. But it has failed to explain how it would fulfill the promises. AAP has also promised to provide quality education in Delhi government schools. Congress has been in the business of making promises since it came to power for the first time in 1998. Undoubtedly, it has undertaken development work on the large scale and improved the services of electricity and transportation. It has also worked hard to bring down pollution level considerably low in the city. With the running of Metro Rail and low floor DTC buses in the city, the transport services have immensely improved. But the National capital Delhi still lacks several civic amenities to be called a world class city. Delhi still deserves more. As the city represents India in every aspect, its development is still uneven and suffers from regional bias. Take for example; Central and South Delhi are far more developed than the East, North-East and West Delhi. This unevenness in the development of the national capital Delhi must be done away with immediately. By making promise to reduce the electricity bill to half and provide free water supply to a certain quantity, AAP has touched the inner chord of Delhiites as they were hit hard by costlier electricity and water in the Congress regime of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. How realistic the promises made by AAP is yet to be experienced, but one thing is clear that the cost of electricity is dependent on the cost of coal. The costlier the power company purchases coal, dearer becomes the electricity. The voters of Delhi are the best and the most competent judges to deliver their verdict through ballot. They have the best mind to test the sincerity of political parties, no matter how big promises are made to them. Whatever may be about the fulfillment of promises made by AAP to Delhiites through its election manifestos, it deserves a chance to rule Delhi.

Rift must be sorted out

The rift between Anna Hazare and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal, which has arisen over the issue of funds raised during Anna agitation against corruption, must be sorted out immediately.The difference between social activist Hazare and AAP boss Kejriwal is not new. The rift started between the two since Arvind Kejriwal decided to form a political party named Aam Aadmi Party.This exchange of letters between the two about the accounts of funds raised during Anna agitation has made everything open. From the letter of Anna Hazare to Arvind Kejriwal, anyone can draw inferences that the former is not satisfied with the accounts of money collected in Anna’s name during his anti-graft agitation. Arvind Kejriwal has explained his side very clearly and satisfactorily. He says that Anna Hazare whome he considers his Guru has hurt him by questioning his honesty. Arvind also says that the money collected during Anna agitation was accounted and audited well by a special team sent by Anna hazare to his satisfaction. He says that no money has been diverted or spent on the election campaigns of AAP in Delhi assembly elections. But he needs to satisfy Anna Hazare personally by making his accounts crystal clear before the public. The money collected by issuing SIM card in the name of Anna Hazare was not in his knowledge. So, every thing appears suspicious. This has to be cleared by Arvind Kejriwal without any loss of time as he is an important stake holder in Delhi elections. Kejriwal along with all other AAP leaders allege that the Congress and the BJP leaders are trying their best to create rift between him and Anna Hazare. That is why they are misleading him. Their allegation is strengthened by the unsavory act of throwing black ink at Arvind Kejriwal and other AAP leaders when they were holding press conference at Constitution Club in Delhi. The man who threw black ink and raised slogan like Anna Hazare Zindabad claimed to be a BJP worker of Ahmednagar in Maharshtra, though the BJP has rejected his claim. Whoever he may be, disrupting press conference of a political party is wrong and anti-democracy. It must be condemned by all poitical parties. The unsavoury political incident like this must be discouraged in democracy. It is also a reality that if the increasing popularity of AAP among Delhiites in a very short span of time is anything to go by, it is certain that in Delhi elections it has become a great challenge to both the Congress and the BJP. It strikes at the roots of both the parties and forces them to go on back foot. Both Congress and BJP are badly perturbed over AAP’s entry as a third formidable force in Delhi elections. AAP’s main election plank is anti-corruption on which both the major political parties are on weak wickets. As far as the rift over the accounts of money collected during Anna agitation between Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal is concerned, it is urgently required on the part of Arvind Kejriwal to make everything open in public to come clean to uphold his unquestioned public image.

Inhuman act

The BJP and the BSP must act against their MPs-Dinu Bogha Solanki and Dhanajay Singh respectively- for their alleged criminal activities. The CBI for his alleged involvement in the murder of RTI activist Amit Jethwa has arrested BJP MP Dinu Bogha Solanki. As the case is related to the state of Gujarat whose Chief Minister is Narendra Modi, it needs immediate action. Narendra Modi is BJP’s prime ministerial candidate. He never tires of providing a far better alternative government than the present one Congress-led UPA at the Centre if voted to power in the coming 2014 Lok Sabha elections. BJP must expel the MP immediately so that people should realize that the party cannot tolerate crime and corruption which comes in the way of providing good governance to the people. BJP must not treat its MP's arrest by the CBI as its highhandedness. Amit Jethwa was an RTI activist and working for uncovering the black deeds of mafias. If the BJP failed to act against its MP Dinu Bogha Solanki, it will give the message out that party is no better than any other in the political field, rather it is worse. Jagriti Singh’s act of brutality towards her domestic helps is inhuman and shocking. She is the wife of BSP MP Dhananjay Singh. She had allegedly beaten one of her domestic helps to death at her husband residence in Delhi South Avenue MP flat. Dhananjay Singh is himself history sheeter as several criminal cases are pending against him in the court of law. He is BSP MP from Jaunpur of UP. Though Dhananjay Singh MP and his wife Jagriti Singh have been arrested by Delhi police, their brutal acts amply reflect that they have no fear of law. BSP supremo Masyawati is known for cracking down on history sheeters, proclaimed criminals and strictness in respecting rule of law. So, she must not take any time in expelling Dhananjay Singh immediately from the party to give the message among the public that acts of crime are intolerable for her. There is no dearth of atrocity and brutality against the domestic helps by their employers in Delhi. No day passes without the appearance of the news in newspapers about the brutal treatment meted out to domestic helps by their employers. All those working as domestic helps ( Male and Female) at the residences of ministers, MPs, businessmen, bureaucrats, Executives, Shops, Hotels and other well off persons in Delhi are generally treated by them as their slaves. The treatment meted out to all the domestic helps by Jagriti Singh at her residenve amply reflects it. She is herself a doctor and wife of BSP MP Dhananjay Singh. But her brutal action towards domestic helps reflects that she is inhuman. So, she should be treated as such by the police. It is also a fact that mostly the domestic helps come from very poor background and they are migrants. They move to big cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai and other in search of job. There is no one to look after them. They are at the mercy of their agents and employers. They use them without showing any mercy, and no labour laws are followed. So, the government of Delhi with the help of Delhi police must act immediately to implement the labours strictly. Among the domestic helps, there are mostly children below 14 years of age in large numbers. They must be freed, and appropriate action must be taken against their employers immediately.