#OddEvenLogic was bound to become a trend on Twitter. The decision to allow privately-owned vehicles with number plates ending with odd and even numbers on alternate days has created a firestorm of a debate. This has virtually buried any debate in two more contentious issues: the Jan Lokpal Bill and the new Education Bill (actually three separate education bills) that have been passed by the Delhi Assembly. One long held suspicion has been confirmed in the last few days though. People used to wonder if followers of Arvind Kejriwal are even more blind in their support than the so-called Modi Bhakts. There can no longer be any doubt about that. That aside, why is Kejriwal doing what he is doing? Let's first stop the nonsense about how he is genuinely trying to change the "system" and Indian politics. The fact is, Kejriwal and his party have successfully imbibed all the worst traits of contemporary political parties. So why is Kejriwal doing all this? As three examples detailed below will show, Kejriwal is smart. It remains to be seen how smart his moves turn out to be or if he becomes too smart for his own good.
#OddEven Policy: According to Delhi government minister Satyendra Jain, "odd" privately owned vehicles will be allowed on Delhi roads on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. "Even" vehicles will be allowed on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. On the face of it, a very noble idea indeed as Delhi really needs some respite from the dangerous levels of pollution. But look at facts. There are about 75 lakh registered cars and two wheelers in Delhi. Say about 25 lakh of them are not used for daily commutes to office. That leaves 50 lakh vehicle owners. Now the #OddEven policy will mean that an additional 25 lakh Delhi citizens will need to use public transport every day. Yes, 25 lakh people. There are about 90,000 registered autos, about a lakh taxis and just about 6,000 buses. The Delhi Metro already transports 26 lakh people a day and is anyway bursting at the seams during office hours. The simple mathematical question is: how will 90,000 autos and 6,000 odd buses (which already ferry passengers) take 25 lakh people to and from offices? The author has not heard even one "transport" expert trying to answer this basic question. And of course, most Delhi based journalists seem to be busy praising Kejriwal for this "revolutionary" and "brave" move. But how will people move in the absence of any public transport whatsoever? There will be chaos and even a bit of "anarchy" (AAP loves that word!). When this insane move is dumped, Kejriwal will tell his supporters: "We want to save Delhi but the Traffic Police that indirectly reports only to Modi ji wants this great idea to fail. Modiji, please give us control of Delhi Police for just one year". Any bets on how his supporters-and many in the media-will lap it up?
The Jan Lokpal Bill: This is an even bigger farce and travesty of the anti-corruption movement launched by Anna Hazare in 2011. It makes a mockery of even the Jan Lokpal Bill of 2014 over which Arvind Kejriwal sacrificed his 49-day-old government. Without going into too many details, the basic idea of the Jan Lokpal movement has been to create a constitutional body that cannot be influenced or pressurized by politicians. That was why it was felt that a group of eminent persons would have a decisive role in selecting the Lokpal. The new Bill has done away with that and stacked the deck in favor of politicians. The reason: a few months ago, when the Supreme Court struck down the NJAC as unconstitutional, it passed some unflattering remarks against "eminent" persons. This author doesn't recall even one senior journalist or expert question this totally ridiculous fig leaf of an excuse. But forget that. What Kejriwal and his fellow AAP travelers have passed is a Bill that will empower the Lokpal to investigate even the Prime Minister while the dearly beloved chief minister remains more or less exempt. You can be sure this Bill will not be approved by either the Central Government or the President. How will Kejriwal react: We want to eradicate corruption from public life but Modi ji not allowing us to do that. No prizes for guessing how his army of supporters will react!
The Education Bill: Towards the end of November, the Delhi Assembly passed three separate bills related to education. On the face of, the bills will fight and tame the menace of commercialization of education. Noble idea. But without getting into gory details, what do these new "laws" seek to do? For one, the new law has totally removed a provision of the 1973 Delhi Education law that gave pay parity to teachers in private schools. Basically, this clause stipulated that private schools have to pay the same salaries to their teachers as those enjoyed by government school teachers. Many schools violated this by forcing teachers to sign false vouchers. But private school teachers did benefit. The new law now leaves hapless teachers at the mercy of private school managements. The supply of teachers is so much larger than demand in Delhi that the bad old days are bound to return. The new law also authorizes the government to appoint a "committee" that will examine the accounts of private schools. We all know where that will lead to. The new law also enables the government to represent the rights of students and parents and impose fines on schools that charge exorbitant fees. The school can pay the fine and then recover that money through more fees! Worse, parents cannot approach courts; only the Delhi government can. This Orwellian drama will inevitably lead to chaos in private schools. How will Kejriwal react: We have tried to reform the corrupt education system but rich owners of private schools encouraged by Modi ji are sabotaging our efforts. No prizes again for guessing how his supporters will react!
Arvind Kejriwal owes his political success to an angry under class that is convinced the existing system and status quo are giving them a raw deal. His rhetoric reflects this; as do the three seemingly crazy moves detailed above. Smart or too smart for his own good? The jury is still out on that!
