What happened to Kejriwal’s promise of marshals and CCTV cameras in DTC buses?

Just when the Delhi government is once again under the scanner due to the cases of fraud presented by ex-Law Minister, Jitendra Tomar, and a case relating to domestic violence on Malviya Nagar MLA Somnath Bharti, people in Delhi have once again tried to bring focus to the various promises the government made during elections. Female security was one of the most important issue which helped Kejriwal become Chief Minister of the state. Kejriwal had promised deploying marshals on Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses, as well as installing CCTV cameras in the buses as well as various streets of Delhi. But nothing much has been achieved.

During the elections AAP had promised to deploy 5,000 marshals in DTC buses. It had also promised the creation of a Women’s security force comprising of 10,000 home guards. As per the latest report, no Home Guard (HG) personnel is free for the job! The existing strength of the Delhi Home Guard, which comes directly under Delhi Government, is 5,000. Out of this 4,500 HGs are presently assisting Delhi police, and the remaining 500 are deployed in various other departments.

Interestingly, 98 home guards who had earlier been deployed with DTC buses after the December 16 gang rape incident, have not received their salary for last seven months. The report was published in The Hindu newspaper. There is a vacancy of 5,000 HGs. Lack of funds with DTC will be a big hurdle in the process.

Similarly, the situation is not very good when we talk about CCTV cameras in DTC buses. According to a latest report, only 4.2% of DTC buses have CCTV surveillance. By November 2014, the DTC had already installed non wi-fi CCTV cameras in 200 DTC buses. It was a pilot project but nothing much has been achieved since then. 

It has been reported that the government has written to Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung to withdraw HGs from the Delhi Police. But there has been no reply from Jung on this matter.

DTC has a fleet of 4,705 buses, which is used by nearly 4.5 million people everyday. Many cases of sexual harassment have been reported in the buses. If marshals and CCTV cameras are present, then it will surely help the women commuters.

AAP came to power with many promises and hopes. But it has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. And nothing concrete has been produced by the government. The controversies relating to Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan, Jitendra Tomar, Somnath Bharti, Rakhi Birla, Kejriwal-Jung tussle, were making the news. But decisions relating to women security were never able to make a headlines in the national capital.

Only time will tell if the ‘technical problems’ were far too difficult for a party which came to power promising change in the initial days. There has been a new wave of dissatisfaction with the Kejriwal government in Delhites. Let us see if Kejriwal is able to win back the hearts of Delhites or not.

This article was first published by LokMarg.com on June 16, 2015

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A Lawmaker’s Wife Faces Domestic Violence: Is Women Security a Dream?

Somnath Bharti, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Malviya Nagar constituency and an Ex-Law Minister of Delhi Government, has been in the news recently for the alleged charges of domestic violence by his wife Lipika Mitra. The charges are serious and the National Women Commission has intervened. Somnath Bharti’s wife has spoken in front of various media houses in the last week regarding the domestic violence she faced in her marriage. The charges include that Bharti had been beating the wife for years and they both started living in isolation because of this. Lipika has also said that Bharti once left his dog to bite her when she was pregnant. Bharti had also spoken lies about his income whilst married, the charges say.

Somnath Bharti shot to fame when he first carried out a raid on an alleged sex racket in Khidki Extension area of Malviya Nagar in Delhi. He was highly criticized for the act- because the raid was carried out with AAP supporters and Delhi Police was not taken into consideration. Later AAP had to apologise because of this and it brought forward the insensitiveness of AAP towards women’s security. There were no concrete proof that the Nigerian women whom Bharti had alleged charges for prostitution were running a sex racket. It also brought criticism from the Nigerian embassy.

Insensitiveness towards women and women’ issues is a reality we all are living with. Domestic violence cannot be seen in isolation, but must be seen as a part of the narrative which talks about the systemic failure of society to ensure that women live with dignity inside a marriage. But sadly this is not true. If Lipika has to be believed, then this incident breaks the widespread myth that domestic violence is limited to the lower classes of the Indian society. Somnath Bharti is a well-known lawyer, has studied at Faculty of Law, Delhi University and also at IIT Delhi, pursuing Masters in Science (M.Sc), one of the most prestigious institutions in India and also in Asia. He has been president of IIT Delhi alumni association in the past. The myth that people from a particular institution, profession and economic class are better than rest of the people has no basis to support itself. In the past we have come across cases where a man from IIT Delhi has thrown acid on a female colleague. This myth needs to be erased from public memory because these are the basis of arranged marriages in many Indian families.

The present incident needs police investigation and it is too early for us to come to any conclusion based on allegations. But this must be a time to bring our attention to the issue of domestic violence in India, which is avoided from public debate. Statistics show (STATISTICS) that there have been many suicide cases of wives due to domestic violence. Dowry is a common reason for domestic violence in North India.

We may talk about economic development of India on world forums, but until unless half of the population feels insecure in our societies, and is subjected to violence and torture, India can never develop in true sense.

This article was first published on LokMarg.com on June 15, 2015

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Living in National Capital Part 3: Delhi sees water crisis, Government fails to deliver

Every year summer brings the most difficult times for people in Delhi, especially those living in the slums and various villages of Delhi. Scarcity of water has been a political issue for a long time in Delhi. Kejriwal came to power with the promise of ensuring 700 liters of free water everyday for a family in Delhi. But it seems the government has failed to deliver on its promises.

Two days back hundreds of people from Sangam Vihar area in South Delhi protested outside the Delhi Jal Board office in Greater Kailash. Many women joined the protests. Because of the protest, there was almost a kilometer long jam on BRT road. BJP councilor from Sangam Vihar area Kalpana Jha also joined in to protest against Delhi Jal Board and Delhi government. BRT is one of the most important roads in Delhi, and a jam on it can disrupt life in city to a great extent.

In another instance, there have been reports of fights in several areas of Delhi for water. One such instance took place in DDA flats of Malviya Nagar, a middle class settlement in the city. People in the area have not received their water connection for the past one month due to failure of tube well in the locality. When the people went to meet the local MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj of Aam Admi Party, there erupted a fight between supporters of Bharadwaj and the protesters. People of the RWA have registered a FIR in the Malviya Nagar police station as well, accusing Bharadwaj of misbehaving with the women who went to protest and demanding proper action.

Water crisis in not new to Delhi. Political parties have been making it a big issue and winning elections promising to supply water to each and every corner of the city. The entire politics of AAP and Kejriwal had grown out on issues relating to water and electricity in Delhi. The erstwhile Congress government failed the people miserably. AAP took advantage of the situation and came to power. But there is hardly any difference in the lives of the people. Summers have shown true colour of politics, and people are protesting everywhere to make sure they get their share of water.

There is a huge discrimination in water supply in Delhi. The urban settlement of the city gets uninterrupted water supply, whereas people in the slums and suburbs struggle to get water. Kejriwal promised that every family- including those living in slums- will get water. But people in the slum are still to see this becoming reality. The temperature has already gone up in the city. Monsoon is still distant. With temperature rising up to 45 degree Celsius, many cases of heatstroke have been reported in the hospitals. The situation in Andhra Pradesh and Telengana is an alarm for all of us. More than 1,100 people have died due to heat waves. This is a genocide, and governments have not given it the proper attention.

It is the true test of the leader. Kejriwal needs to answer the problems in the most efficient manner, before the issue becomes unmanageable.

This article was first published on LokMarg on May 30, 2015

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Why there is no place for voice of dissent in new age India?

And finally Yogendra Yadav, along with three other ‘rebel’ leaders of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), has been expelled from AAP. This was expected because he had acted against the party guidelines. Yogendra Yadav, one of the founders of the party, has said that he felt like being thrown out of his home. This brings us to the larger and serious question- is there a place for dissent in our democracy?

In last two years we have seen rise of two major politicians in India- one was Chief Minister of a state, and the other was a social activist. They both came to power in less than a year’s time. They both are running government from Delhi. I am talking about Prime Minister Modi, and Delhi’s Chief Minister Kejriwal.

While Modi has been called a dictator for a long time, there are new voices coming from within the AAP family, making insinuations that Kejriwal is a dictator as well. If the leaders at the highest positions of our times are termed as dictators, then are we really living in a democratic set up, or is it just an illusion in our times?

Personality driven politics

For a long time Indian politics has been personality driven. When Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the face of Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) in late 90s, the slogan that made him India’s Prime Minister was ‘Ab ki Baari, Atal Bihari’ (This time Atal Bihari). In 2014 BJP almost copied the slogan with ‘Ab ki Baar, Modi sarkaar’ (This time Modi’s government). At the same lines, Aam Aadmi Party ran the entire campaign with the slogan ‘Paanch Saal Kejriwaal’ (Kejriwal for five years). Not to forget, years back Indira Gandhi gave the slogan ‘Indira is India, India is Indira’. In 2014, Congress chose a rather inclusive slogan- ‘Sabka Sath Sabka Vikash, Chalo Chalein Congress ke Sath’ (For everybody’s development, let us choose Congress). But it failed miserably. In 2003 BJP chose a slogan around ‘India Shining’, and it failed as well. It is evident that we have a long history of personality driven politics rather than that driven by ideas.

Problem with creation of Personality in Indian politics

Ironically, we are not just voting for the person around whom the campaign is created. One may be a supporter of Modi, but he/she votes for a candidate in his/her constituency. It is due to such blind campaigns that the present Parliament has the highest number of parliamentarians with pending criminal cases, according to electoral and political reforms organisation Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). ADR has also been appealing for a long time that one should make an informed choice and not be influenced by big names in the election.

Dissent and Indian Politics

In a political realm that runs totally around personalities, it is difficult to go against that personality. No member of the Congress party can go against the Gandhi family, No one in BJP can go against Modi. And no one in AAP can question Kejriwal! Interestingly all these political fronts are essentially claiming to reform Indian democracy- even when inner party democracy is totally missing. The larger question remains unanswered- do we have a single party which can be termed ‘democratic’ in real sense?

Yogendra Yadav, along with Prashant Bhushan and Anand Kumar, has started another campaign called ‘Swaraj Abhiyaan’. Will he form another political party? Only time will tell. But how many more political parties do we need to get one final truly democratic institution- where there is a place for dissent and discussion as well?

Dissent is key to democracy. Voltaire said something very important years back. ‘I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it’. Seems our politicians have not read Voltaire.

We need Voltaire for our times. We need dissent and discussion for Indian democracy to survive.

This article was first published in LokMarg on April 23, 2015. 

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Delhi Battle: The Hopes of Aam Aadmi versus the Wave of Fake Optimism

When I was a student of Journalism at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Yogendra Yadav came to give a lecture titled “In Defence of Politics”. He came as a guest lecturer. That was the only time he came to IIMC during the time I was a student there. That lecture was around what politics means in day to day life, and how we all are part of the larger politics. I was mesmerised by his eloquence and delivery of speech. He delivered his lecture and then told us that there is something very important in the afternoon, and he has to rush to attend the meeting. I was not aware he was talking about launch of a political revolution in India. It was the very same day when AAP was launched- November 26, 2012.

A common man who is an 

AAP supporter. Photo: Nihal

Aam Aadmi Party came to Indian Politics with lot of hopes. For the first time many people saw academicians, intellectuals and people who have been part of social movements for a long time taking the role of politicians- a tribe which common Indians try to avoid interacting with. Its biggest contribution was that it reconnected people with politics, which lately traditional political parties had failed to do. AAP gave voice to a common man.

The political fight which AAP has given is most fascinating any political party could see in such a small time. The high point was when Arvind Kejriwal defeated Sheila Dixit at New Delhi constituency, and AAP formed government in Delhi. We all know the story- The rise and fall of AAP.

When AAP came to power there was a strong anti-Congress wave all across the nation. The wave continued till Lok Sabha elections, when the nation gave full majority to BJP led NDA government, or to be precise, to Narendra Modi. Since then things have slowed down. The anti-incumbency wave has slowed down. It will be wrong to assume that things have changed since then. Corruption is rampant, inflation remains an issue, and there is no way we can say BJP has done something significantly different. India had always seen a GDP growth rate of around 6% to 9%. But it never meant poverty was irradiated, or other issues were dealt with. There is an ‘optimism’ in the country. Only time will tell if the optimism is fake or not. According to P. Sainath, prominent journalist of our times, it is fake.

But this ‘fake optimism’ means AAP stands a very narrow chance of coming to power in Delhi. We cannot deny the fact that even when there was a wave in support of AAP, it did not receive full majority. Now that wave is also absent. The young urban India which AAP connected with politics has got its own demigod in form of NaMo.

The performance of BJP in various states which went to polls, since it came into power at centre ,has been impressive. It formed government in Maharashtra, Jharkahnd, Haryana and was the second largest party in Jammu and Kashmir. These performances were also result of the fact that BJP fought all the elections with Narendra Modi as the face. It is replicating the same strategy in Delhi once again. The various hoardings in Delhi metro and bill board across the city-state of Delhi are once again painted with NaMo. BJP knows that showing Modi once again as the face of the party will fetch it the required votes, so it is not naming its Chief Minister candidate. The battle once again has become Modi versus Kejriwal, as Congress once again is out of the race.

File photo of AAP supporters campaigning in
Connaught Place Delhi. Photo: Nihal

The only reason why AAP can come back to power is if the middle class voters, which helped AAP come to power in 2013, realises that BJP essentially doesn’t have any face in the elections. A Prime Minister will have many more important issues to deal with. Modi cannot be the face for Chief Minister of Delhi. The lower class vote pretty much lies with Kejriwal. The lower class vote, which was earlier the vote base of Congress, wants to see the 49 days of AAP government when it did not have to deal with corruption on a day to day basis. The political battle has just started. AAP and BJP have kickstarted their campaigning. To say that BJP will win the elections, will be too simple an assessment of Indian politics.

Let us hope Delhi gets the government it deserves.

This article was first published in LokMarg on January 12, 2015

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