There is already one custodian of nationalism in Indian politics. The chauvinistic jibes of right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is enough to satisfy the jingoists. There is no need of neo-conservatism to replace the majoritarianism of BJP. The manner in which Delhi’s Tourism Minister and senior leader of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Kapil Mishra targeted Mehbooba Mufti makes it clear that he was catering to a constituency. The (hyper) nationalistic taunts against the Jammu & Kashmir chief minister was intended to reach out to a section of electorate. The political stunt of Kapil Mishra could had been a matter of cheer for the AAPtards. But for any rational viewer, it was cheap politics at its best. The art is being perfected by Arvind Kejriwal and his band of coterie day by day.
Although the Tourism Conference was turned into a platform of political slugfest by Kapil Mishra, the event did leave a few learning lessons for Arvind Kejriwal and his close associates. The manner in which Mehbooba Mufti reacted speaks a volume about her character, integrity and the manner in which a public leader should behave. Here are the few things which the modern day Machiavelli and his team of spin doctors, under the guise of aam aadmis, should learn from Mehbooba Mufti:
- Political decency: Arvind Kejriwal has time and again reiterated that “Rajneeti ek keechad hai, aur hum is mei utar ke safai karenge (Politics is a muddy tract, we would get down and clean it)”. However, once he became a pure politician, the scope of idealism within his party is gradually shrinking. The lines of decency have been not only blurred, but completely abrogated. What was promised to be a new stream of alternative politics, has already been affected by all symptoms of mainstream parties. Catering to one vote-bank makes Kejriwal organize iftar parties. To satisfy another vote-bank, his ministers plan to antagonize the whole of Kashmiris. (ALSO READ: AAP Minister Kapil Mishra slams Mehbooba Mufti at Tourism Conference in Delhi: ‘What’s your stand on Burhan Wani?’)
At the Tourism Conference, the AAP Minister was supposed to address the gathering and welcome the guests. On the other hand, he questioned the loyalty of Kashmiris and accused them of sheltering terrorists. Mishra also accused of Mehbooba of having a soft spot for slain militant Burhan Wani.
Being lambasted in this manner, the Jammu & Kashmir chief minister did not lose her cool. She waited for her turn to speak. She recalled how her grandfather and father (late Mufti Mohammed Sayeed) had the vision of strengthening ties with India and boosting tourism. However, she gave a dignified response to Kapil Mishra as well. Mehbooba highlighted the fact that no Indian tourist has been attacked amid any of the conflicts in the state, and perhaps, one Kashmiri ended up dying when he tried to save Amarnath pilgrims during the floods.
If there is an iota of political decency left within AAP, there should be an apology for smearing an entire populace on charges of supporting terrorism. While there could be sympathy among a section of Kashmiris for the self-determination movement, the entire Valley could not be branded as terrorists. (ALSO READ: Emotional Mehbooba Mufti hits back at AAP Minister Kapil Mishra: ‘Girls in Kashmir safer than Delhi’)
- Reasonable restraint: In a state where more than 90 civilians have succumbed to injuries sustained at hands of security personnel, where more than 100 people have lost their eyesights due to the use of scathing pellet guns, the Chief Minister could had blatantly accused Centre and armed forces for the current conflict. Despite knowing the fact that it would be electorally disastrous for her to appeal Kashmiris to pose faith in India, she has urged the aggrieved people in the Valley to exercise restraint and help restore normalcy.
On the other hand, the Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, could hardly let a week pass without cursing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of plotting against him. In one of his videos, Kejriwal ended up accusing Modi of planning to assassinate him. For each and every issue of Delhi, Kejriwal holds Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung and PM Modi at fault. A mature leader would aim to find the middle route and work towards improving the lives of Delhiites through joint governance, rather than turning Delhi into a sultanate of political warfare.
- Maintaining dignity in politics: Politicians should be spared for uttering contentious remarks in poll rallies. Surrounded by their own version of bhakts, they often end up speaking things which are more than contentious. However, what Kapil Mishra resorted to today at the Tourism Conference was an act of shameless politics.
Even the most cold-blooded of the politicians do not intend to embarrass their political opponents at governmental functions. Most recently, renowned sultan of secularism Amar Singh shared the dias with RSS sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat. Months ago, Prime Minister Modi shared the dias with his staunch political opponent and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar at an official event. Both held each other’s hands while waving at the crowd. At the same event in Patna, crowd began chanting ‘Modi, Modi’ while Nitish began speaking. This prompted the Prime Minister to signal his supporters to stop chanting his name.
While Delhi had whole-heartedly accepted Kejriwal’s all-gun blazing brand of politics, his coterie should not exhibit arrogance and defy the standards of dignity in public life.
- Governance, not playing with popular sentiments: Considering the popular sentiment in Kashmir, and in order to safeguard her own electoral future, Mehbooba Mufti could had snapped ties with the right-wing BJP. However, she defied the popular sentiment and continued to remain in coalition with a party which is ruling the Centre. The logic has been used by all frontier states in order to avail generous amount of funds for development.
Despite facing an unprecedented amount of flak, Mehbooba has urged the people of Valley to believe in the leadership of Narendra Modi and the vision of late Mufti saheb.
On the other hand, AAP has concentrated more on image-building rather than indulging in governance. More efforts have been taken by the AAP coterie to publicise themselves rather than improving governance. The modus operandi of Delhi government has been to pick up a campaign and successfully publicise it using the massive Rs 550+ crore allotted for advertisement in state budget. Meanwhile, if any of their failure gets highlighted by the media, the need of the hour would be to swerve the public sentiment in their favour and initiate a political slugfest with the Centre.
Considering his latest statements regarding the surgical strikes, there should no business for the Chief Minister of a region facing massive chikungunya and dengue crisis to involve himself in a debate surrounding national security. While his government needs to take efforts to prevent the rising number of deaths recorded due to the vector-borne disease, the common man’s party is busy discussing the propaganda of Pakistan in the aftermath of cross-border hostilities.