AAP manifesto has positives but lacks signature promise
The much awaited manifesto of the Aam Aadmi party is out, and while it offers several positives, the document which lists out the party’s policies and priorities once it comes to power ultimately only flatters to deceive.
The positives first. For those who use the State’s current public transportation system for their daily commute will testify, it is currently one among the worst in the world. Held ransom by private bus owners who are either too fast when chasing another bus or too slow when waiting for passengers, not to mention that it shuts down on some routes as early as 7pm, the system, if one can even call it one, fails the common man.
That the AAP could identify the seriousness of the problem and promise “24x7 world class bus service” will offer hope that whether or not the party will come to power, there will be some light shone on the problem.
There’s also the promise that khazan lands will remain khazans and forests will remain forests and that the IPB will not be allowed to bypass the laws of the land.
The party has also promised humane conditions for the police, besides offering Rs 1 crore as compensation for policemen who sacrifice their lives on duty, a single window system for grant of shack licences well before the season commences, a heritage policy in order that owners of heritage homes can monetise their homes as well as the already much publicised promise for 50,000 jobs and a huge infusion of funds in sports infrastructure and training.
Given that the AAP is perhaps the only party that has drawn up its manifesto after going through a well documented process of more than 350+ meetings most at the village vaddo level, the party’s manifesto doesn’t have that one “signature” promise that makes it stand out. When the party went to polls in Delhi for the first time, it promised to offer free power and water up to a certain basic minimum limit. It was a promise that Delhiites took to given that for too long the people of the national capital territory were complaining about high tariffs and apathetic discoms. It was also simple and hence achievable, that it was surprising that no one had thought about it earlier. It’s often the simple things that make the most difference to the people’s lives. It’s why we picked out the promise of a public transport bus system as the only standout promise of the manifesto.
In Goa, there’s the promise to set up a Goa State Mineral Development Corporation and undertake sustainable mining to recover the loot, and proper surveillance to ensure that illegal mining doesn’t happen again. There’s also the promise of the regional plan within one year, promises for fishermen, tribals, etc. However, neither of these issues, especially the mining and regional plan, have the same force they had back in 2012.
To stand out in a crowded market of political parties, now more than ever, the AAP will have to differentiate its manifesto and promises from the others. There would be no better way to do that than promising an achievable goal that fires up the imagination of the state. The AAP is going to need some of that.
