The Times of India has organised this debate at The Tollygunge Club’ Kolkata on this Sunday evening,where political heavyweights and luminaries like external affairs minister Salman Khurshid, Aam Aadmi Party leader Yogendra Yadav, BJP stalwart Ravi Shankar Prasad, CPM politburo member Sitaram Yechury, social activist Aruna Roy and author Shobhaa De will deliberate if “New Politics Is Ideal For Opposition, Not Governance”.
Better governance and delivery of results are the pointers that will be the central theme of this election, and in spite of all the attempted twist from the incumbent Congress party, the chorus on the subject will grow louder and political forces brace for the big fight ahead, the question doing the rounds is what terms will dictate the results of the polls. Will the mainstream parties pull their manipulative strings yet again or will the common man be able to force substantial changes in the power equation?
TOI is anticipating to expect Khurshid, Prasad and Yechury to throw no holds-barred punches at AAP’s Yogendra Yadav. He will have De and Roy for company — the former a self-proclaimed fan of Arvind Kejriwal and the latter a critic, with the added value of the venue Kolkata city, one city that has witnessed a major political transformation with the common man overthrowing a government entrenched for 34 years to catapult a ‘Ma, Mati, Manush’ government to power.
The debate is on whether a popular movement can culminate in good governance — a question that has become pertinent in the wake of AAP first forming the government in Delhi and then resigning to take to the streets to agitate.
While Prasad pointed out: “There is a world of difference between agitation and administration. You need to graduate from being an agitator to a level where you govern with responsibility and accountability.”, it will be interesting to see how Khurshid handle the double sword attack on him for the failure in governance, and its replacement by the new wing of politics.
Khurshid is expected to continue slamming AAP as he recently did, “They smack of anarchy and mayhem and it doesn’t seem that the party can rule responsibly. They question and demean anything. AAP is a real threat to our system, but what he added as," They are anarchists. They want to destroy the system. They are anarchist either by choice or by ignorance,” has got bigger relevance to AAP's raw, crude non imaginative style of working, as seen in Delhi.
And, ace psephologist Yogendra Yadav, now representing as AAP's principal think-tank still may not be found wanting in spite of their back-tracking in holding responsibility of governance in Delhi .TOI presumes that Yadav, who strategized AAP’s phenomenal electoral foray for next election, will spearhead the argument in favour of new politics with the common man.
How social activist Aruna Roy,author Shobhaa De and politician will deliberate is suspense now, as Roy has criticised AAP’s street politics and Yechury must have the prospect of the proverbial Third Front in mind, may nor risk antagonising a possible ally.
INDIA HONEST agrees with TOI view that "this couldn’t have had a more relevant debate as we head for the most interesting general election in years. It is a great chance to debate the future of the country".
Simultaneously IH asks, why the social media, which has become so sensitive this election, with the intellects, the mass individual fan groups,that has been participating, commenting on similar topics, should not also deliberate sensibly, when all can join in the debate on their own, in the social media, .........Face-Book, Twitter or other blog options.
IH invites viewers, readers to join and present their comments on the topic.