Anil Anand
Even two weeks after North-East part of Delhi was rocked by communal riots leading to 48 deaths, the capital city despite having two systems of governance- Centre and the local AAP Government headed by Mr Arvind Kejriwal- is in a state of total flux. Even almost two weeks after the riots that left at least 48 people dead and hundreds injured, and a psyche that is deeply hurt and bruised no clear directions have emerged on the issue of relief and rehabilitation, probing the causes behind the mayhem and fixing the accountability at all levels beginning from Union Home Ministry, which is directly in charge of law and order in Delhi, Kejriwal Government and above all Delhi Police.
Consider this scenario in the light of yet another uncertainty prevailing on account of the Centre’s reluctance to debate the matter in the two Houses of Parliament. The Opposition parties have been pressing for a debate which if held in a meaningful way could certainly lead to fixing of responsibility, the Government though expressed its willingness to allow the debate is adamant to do the same on a day, date and time of its own choice which has created a situation of conflict in Parliament House and thereby adding to the flux.
These are not the only reasons behind the uncertainty which has gripped Delhi. There is a total political vacuum in the aftermath of total lawlessness that was witnessed in North East Delhi with police remaining a silent spectator for at least three days. Was this reluctant on the part of the police was due to lack of will or was the elite force waited for instructions from the Centre to wield the stick? This question is today staring all those directly responsible for governance and maintaining law and order Delhi, in the face.
The third and most important reason that has further added to the confusion and deepened the inertia that Delhi is currently experiencing, is the sudden inaction of the political parties namely BJP, AAP and Congress who were only a few weeks back contesting assembly elections against each other. The silence of the three political parties, of course in their own way and style, is the most intriguing as it is directly hitting the interest of those who faced the onslaught of the communal frenzy. Under such circumstances the ruling party rank and file usually is in the fore-front to help their Government in implementing the relief and rehabilitation plans. Both BJP and AAP rank and file are found wanting on this account.
Since both BJP and AAP are the ruling parties- at the Centre and in Delhi local, it becomes more incumbent upon the Congress to act an alert watchdog being the only opposition party but it seems the over century old party is strongly gripped by indecisiveness which has unfortunately become a strong trait of its personality. Of course, the party is smarting under the pressure of crushing defeat that it received in the assembly elections and failing for the second successive time to open its account. Firstly about the BJP-AAP equation vis-a-vis the current situation in Delhi which has caused curiosity in the quarters concerned. Suddenly, despite an impressive electoral victory for a second successive time, Mr Kejriwal changed tacks particularly in the midst of the riots and went into a silent mode. Not only that his lips were sealed, an intriguing departure from his earlier style of politics of conflict, but in his wisdom he decided not to visit the affected areas to take stock of the situation which as chief minister he should have done at the first available opportunity.
This has raised many questions in the public mind, among large swath of his support base and of course within his rank and file as to what prevented him from visiting the riot hit North East Delhi. If Mr Kejriwal has decided to shift from politics of confrontation to politics of cooperation and coordination, it should be welcomed by all but if that entailed buckling under some pressure that ultimately led to his abandoning the very people who just days back voted him back to power, certainly owes an explanation to the same people.
If certain quarters close to Mr Kejriwal are to be believed then he decided against reaching out to the riot affected people under advice from the central leadership particularly the Home Minister, Amit Shah. If that is true then this is a significance development in the context of BJP-AAP relationship. This is yet another extreme from Mr Kejriwal who has taken a full turn from his earlier virulent self against the BJP top leadership including Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, to a sudden conciliatory approach. The manner in which he has done so, by ignoring the riot affected people, is jarring and bound to create doubts.
On its part the BJP ruling at the Centre is busy deflecting the blame and trying to heap it on either AAP Government or Congress. Despite having pulled all stops and spending fortune in the elections with a hope to form the Government, the BJP has not forgotten the defeat and so its attention is more focused on coming out with fresh political narrative everyday rather than directing its local leadership and rank and file to reach out to the society and undertake relief measures.
The biggest loser in this game Congress had an occasion to connect with the people through exposing failures of the Centre and the state dispensations on relief and rehabilitation front and assuring foolproof security in the Capital, but it seem to be have squandered it once again. The party is leaderless in Delhi as appointment of a new Delhi president does not seem to be insight in near future. Ritualistically, the party’s interim president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi formed a committee to tour the affected areas and highlight the systematic failures in providing relief to the victims.
Despite this flux the normalcy is slowly returning on its own. To sustain the process on a long term basis, it is imperative that the two Governments and the political parties soon come to terms with themselves and act accordingly. After all, it is only they who have to stand as a surety for people’s safety and security.
feedbackexcelsior@gmail.com
Follow our WhatsApp channel