On 26 November, 2012 a political party was launched in Delhi. And on 8th December, 2013 it created history, which would be remembered for a long time to come. A case study of which would be introduced by many business schools; many other political parties would try to copy the same model and many corporate would take out the lessons of leadership and team work from their success. It’s not every day that you see the emergence of political party which achieves such success.
Indeed, there are a lot of lessons to be learnt not only for political organisations as Gandhi scion admitted in a press conference shortly after the poll results were out, but for all such organisations which have public dealings.
In Kashmir, even though the mood is upbeat about the nascent “Aam Aadmi”, who has created ripples in Delhi’s political circles, expectations are very little. The policy of Aam Aadmi Party is exactly the same as that of other political parties – Kashmir is the Integral part of India.
In Kashmir even the “Aam Aadmi” is a Dictator! Their seems to be no value of Aam Kashmiri Aadmi and even if there is, as was seen when one of the eminent lawyer now part of AAP had said: “I want that the situation be normalised, [the] Army be withdrawn, the Armed Forces Special Powers Act be also withdrawn and then try to persuade the people of Kashmir to stay with India. And, if the people want, then there could be a plebiscite, and if the people of the Valley want separation, they be allowed to separate”, it has to be sacrificed at the very onset. And that’s what has happened. As an activist one might be able to speak the truth and stand for justice but the same becomes impossible to say as a politician.
But, then this is not the lesson Kashmir should draw from it. Rather should be concentrating on the factors which led AAP to this kind of success. Then, there is also another story of a cricketing legend who won world cup for his nation. In 1996 he launched his own political party; in 2002 he was the sole MP from his party. But in last couple of years emerged as a serious player on Pakistan’s political scene and missed being a leader of opposition by a whisker in May elections. There is some kind of similarity between both these parties leaving aside the levels at which they fought elections. They gave hope and build trust among the masses. They reached out to the people and talked about the basic problems people faced. They have somehow managed to touch the hearts of people and have been able to connect to the people.
Also, everything that is happening in subcontinent stands witness to the change of mood among the common people. The awakening is there; the masses are realizing the power of their vote and are using the same with utmost caution. It seems to be the end of an era, where the votes were put up for sale, without realising its worth and thus jeopardising the democratic set ups.
There are a lot of lessons to learn for the political class of Kashmir. Even though Kashmir’s political arena is not as easy as it is in other parts but the change needs to take place, however small it may be. The need to realise the power of a common people is immediate and to pave way to their aspirations is indeed, the way to move forward. For both the sides, in Kashmir!
By Irtif Lone
