The campaign for the election to the Delhi Assembly has plunged into a mud-slinging one even before it started in right earnest, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the charge on behalf of the BJP.
Mr Modi, the most accomplished political communicator of our times, has a penchant for twisting words and coming out with sharp coinages, and in Delhi, he has discovered ‘aapdaa’ which in Hindi means disaster, to refer to his party’s main political rival. The BJP would now splash posters of ‘AAPda’ across the national capital, taking the Prime Minister’s message down to the last man.
Elections in our country are about first going past the post, and hence each vote counts. Every party will play every trick in the book to convince the voter about the electability of his party and the non-electability of its rival. This is perfectly legitimate, too.
But there are certain Lakshman Rekhas parties are supposed to follow. Some have been listed by the Election Commission of India in the Model Code of Conduct while some are observed as part of public life. Mutual respect is one of them. There are only rivals in politics, and not enemies, they would clarify.
The Prime Minister calling AAP a disaster is unbecoming of his position. The AAP has been elected to rule Delhi for three consecutive terms, as Mr Modi has been elected Prime Minister the third time. They both are in power because the people thought so. A politician can afford to ignore public opinion at his own cost; a prime minister can never do so.
Not that it is going to affect the AAP. If Mr Modi is a master in turning challenges into opportunities, Mr Arvind Kejriwal, AAP’s national convener, is a past master in the game. The Congress, given its huge historical baggage, may not be able to cope with Mr Modi and his party when it comes to personal attacks, and giving apt replies but the AAP is a different kettle of fish. It will be a costly affair for the BJP to underestimate the man who chose to complain to the RSS chief on the unethical campaign mode of the saffron party, a member of the Sangh parivar.
Kejriwal has already started using the very same successful strategy Mr Modi used against his rivals: playing the victim card. He has already stated that Mr Modi may continue to abuse him and the party the BJP as long as it would address the issues of the people. On the opulence allegedly indulged in by Mr Kejriwal, the AAP has already started reeling out the numbers related to the Prime Minister’s official residence and the expenses incurred.
The people of national capital territory have real issues which only politicians can solve. Like law and order, housing, education and drinking water. Parties should attempt to find answers on how to make Delhi more livable, instead of raking up topics that can help divert people’s attention. It will be a zero sum game. The campaign should be run as a model one, and it is for Mr Modi to lead it from the front.
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