The Aam Admi Party reflects an incomplete sketch of a possible alternative for all those opposing the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi.
The party was showing what may be called a blue print which could develop into a wholesome design or just vaporise, former Governor of West Bengal Gopalkrishna Gandhi said on Saturday.
Delivering the sixth V. Sankar Aiyar Memorial Lecture under the auspices of the Southern India Regional Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India here on “India Today”, he said he saw the AAP as an aggregation of independent and politically interested people. One need not see the party as a panacea or a phantom.
The next Lok Sabha will be more about persons than parties and he would like to see good persons in Parliament redeeming the name of Indian democracy. It was crucial that the AAP supported good persons wherever they were.
Likewise, other parties should want the AAP to support them stating that they were also against corruption and against cronyism. However, if the AAP becomes narcissistic, it would be a tragedy for the country. Contrary to popular opinion, after the elections the country may not have one great party with one iconic leader darting into office. It is more likely to be an aggregation of similar parties coming together. But what was important was that there was a need for a serious programme for tackling vital issues such as natural resources and the challenge of climate change.
Mr.Gandhi said he would like to see political parties to stand for what was broadly called the vision contained in the preamble to the Constitution. Terming the people of the country as the ‘peoplehood,’ the former Governor said it was time to show the people as the ‘general assembly’ of India to which the State was accountable.
The people had not been taken seriously. No one had thought of the people to whom the State was accountable.
Mani Shankar Aiyar, MP and the eldest son of V.Sankar Aiyar, explained the significance of the lecture.
