New Delhi: The chaos at Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's roadside Janata Durbar was expected. A huge crowd was anyway expected at the venue to catch a glimpse of the man, who has changed rules of the game in Indian politics. In reality, no chief minister in India can meet people on roadside. We the Indians seek solution to all our problems from the people in power. We also have a large population. Some others with no problem also go to such programmes out of curiosity.
As he claims the AAP government is a commoner's government. The aam aadmi feels that it is his/her government and wants to approach it without any fear or inhibition. The AAP has raised the expectations of the people from the government to such a level that it is now impossible to talk logic and reasoning with the aam aadmi. They expect the AAP government to find an instant solution for everything.
Thankfully Kejriwal is slowly realising it. As he admitted he had to flee from the spot to avoid a stampede. A harassed looking Kejriwal said "we will have to make arrangements at some other place, not possible on Monday to hold a Janata durbar. The crowd was uncontrollable today. If I had not left the venue, there was a situation building to a stampede. We will have to make better arrangements for the Janata Durbar. I appeal people to maintain an order at the Janata Darbar. Janata Durbar has been suspended for Monday and Tuesday."
The idea of coming closer to the people without security and other paraphernalia is truly a welcome sign in a country like India, where too much importance is attached to red beacons and gun totting security personnel. Kejriwal wanted to break free from all that and freely mingle with the people.
As expected his first Janata Durbar turned into a melee. The expectant crowd pushed its way towards the chief minister Kejriwal. As he claims, he left the venue to avoid a stampede.
Let's hope that the AAP and Kejriwal will realise that good governance is not anarchy. One can provide good governance even from the secure office environs. For the people, it really does not matter whether they meet the chief minister in a secure environment or they meet him/her on roadside as long as their problems are addressed and redressed. If their problems don't get resolved, they don't care even if the meeting takes place on roadside or even if the chief minister visits their house.
Kejriwal is also not the first chief minister, who is holding Janata Durbars or darshans. Many chief ministers have been doing it for decades across India.
The AAP is playing to the gallery. It is now redefining the word 'tokenism'. What has happened outside the Delhi secretariat on a cold Saturday morning is nothing but a mere tokenism. Thousands of people, who gathered there had to go back home without meeting Kejriwal, without being heard by the AAP government.
As Kejriwal's one time team mate and retired IPS officer Kiran Bedi tweets "For God's sake, Arvind and Team, Secretariats are not run from Roof Tops! Pl take time to listen/absorb! And then take considered decisions!"
Kejriwal and team must realize that coming closer to the people is being able to solve the problems of the people. Not to sit outside the office and create chaos. No chief minister in India was so close to the people like the late M G Ramachandran of Tamil Nadu in the late 1970s and the whole of 1980s. As eminent editor Cho Ramaswamy, once famously remarked 'in MGR's case, the man was the message'.
He was much more popular than Kejriwal. He also did a lot for the poor and helpless. But, he did not believe in tokenisms like moving around without security and sitting on roadside to listen to the people.
Governance is a tough, dry, challenging, clerical job. It is not a non-stop 'tamasha' or a spectacle on television channels.
Hope, Kejriwal learns it sooner.
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