Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal has stirred things up soon after assuming office, transferring tainted officials and holding open forums to connect with people. The political newbie, while still trying to find his feet, has spelt out his social media strategy on the Aam Aadmi Party's website that also lists some innovative ideas ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections in 2014.
Janata Durbar
Kejriwal pledged, along with his ministers, to meet citizens to hear their complaints in public, every Saturday. "In parallel, several changes are being made across multiple departments to ensure that the complaints received are addressed. No complaint will be considered resolved until the complainant indicates that it is resolved", the AAP website stated. However, after the first Janata Darbar in Delhi ended in chaos, the Chief Minister dropped the idea saying he will meet people once a week, but for grievances, an online system will be set up.
Anti-corruption inspectors
Kejriwal announced that every citizen of Delhi can be an anti-corruption inspector. "Teams of Delhi Police will be on standby for any assistance. State vigilance department has a team which will look into the matter. With just a phone, every citizen has the power to expose the corrupt. People should fear that they might be under surveillance. The purpose is to create fear in the mind of every corrupt individual." The scheme, while well-intentioned, is impractical to implement on a large scale.
Protection of female AAP members
In a highly commendable move, the Aam Aadmi Party has established a committee to protect the rights of women within the party. This committee, comprising three members, will investigate "internal issues of women harassment as per the directive of the Supreme Court".
National membership campaign
The party recently launched their national membership campaign, from January 10 to 26, called 'Main Bhi Aam Aadmi' with a target of adding 1 crore members by January 26. It has waived off its Rs 10 membership fee during the duration of the campaign.
Buses as night shelters
The AAP, on its Facebook page, announced its intention to convert abandoned, old buses into night shelters. "All abandoned buses in Delhi are being modified into night shelters. These buses will be provided with blankets and other basic amenities so that the homeless can at the least sleep properly," the post stated. The party intended to put up 45 new night shelters through the winter months to accommodate the homeless.
The auto ride to work
Manish Sisodia, Rakhi Birla, Saurabh Bhardwaj, Somnath Bharti and Arvind Kejriwal took a Metro train from Kaushambi station to the Ramlila Maidan on the day Kejriwal took oath as Delhi's CM. Birla was seen soon after coming to work riding an autorickshaw. While this sets a precedent of sorts, it's a security nightmare for the police.
No central high command
The 'about us' page on the AAP website states the party's ideology. "There is no central high command in Aam Aadmi party. The party structure follows a bottom to top approach where the council members elect the Executive Body and also holds the power to recall it."
Anti-VIP culture
Kejriwal's and his party's stand against the ingrained VIP culture in Delhi is simple and direct. "No MLA or MP of this party will use red lights or any other beacons on his or her vehicles. No MLA or MP of this party will use any special security. We believe that elected people's representatives need the same security as a common man. No MLA or MP of our party will live in opulent and luxurious government housing. No one would need to buy an election ticket in our party. Candidates contesting elections from an area will be selected by the people of that area." While no one is grudging Kejriwal's 5-bedroom bungalow, the episode over selecting his
Transparency
"Every single rupee collected by donations to run this people's party will be publicly declared on the party's website and all expenditures will also be declared on the website. Every member of the Aam Aadmi party will have to follow a strict internal code of conduct or internal Lokpal," the website stated.
"We will accept donations from individuals, businesses and groups with absolutely clean professional records. If any donor is accused of wrongdoing and is found guilty either by our internal Lokpal or by the courts of the country, we shall return the donation made by the person or group and blacklist them from ever associating with our party in future," it said.
High profile members
The Aam Aadmi Party has attracted some high profile members, including Mallika Sarabhai and Medha Patkar, who have a clean image. While none of the new members of the AAP are career politicians, the party is hoping that they will make up for their inexperience with candour.
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