NEW DELHI: Delhi is not a state. The Chief Minister of Delhi is 15th in the protocol hierarchy, at par with Cabinet Ministers of States within their territory, or Deputy Ministers in the Union Government.

The total Budget estimate for Delhi is Rs. 36,766 Crores (FY 2014-15); the budget of Mumbai Municipal Corporation is Rs. 31,178 Crores (FY 2014-15).

But despite the anomaly, and because of the media the recent Assembly elections in Delhi, became an extraordinary event in the entire nation. I was in some remote village in Andhra Pradesh, while the campaign in Delhi was on going. Since I was from Delhi, several prominent villagers came to hear news about the Delhi polls “from the horse’s mouth”. The Delhi polls became not only a national issue, but international as well. “Markets may see a decline for a few days if the results do not favour Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)” is a serious concern of the Bank of America, Merrill Lynch and Future General India Life Insurance.

The absolute majority gained by the Bharatiya Janata party in the Lok Sabha Elections and subsequent victories in several states was a watershed not so much in Indian politics as in governance. There was euphoria claiming that it was a second Independence. The logic being that after centuries of colonial rule there was a truly nationalist government, obviously implying that the last six decades was an interim arrangement, if not an extension of the colonial order.

This second Independence obviously had to be exercised. What better way than to begin with the removal of the obnoxious terms “secular” and “socialist” from the preamble of the Constitution of India; to change the basic principles that have formed the nation’s foreign policy during the last six decades; change the education structure and start indoctrinating children through concerted efforts; “pushing the envelope” of majoritarianism inch by inch as far as possible; legitimize religious intolerance and exercise selective patronage; intimidate the bureaucrats by dramatic terminations and public intimidation; dismantle social welfare schemes like MNREGA and the public distribution system on grounds of alleged populism and corruption; ensure opening of bank accounts to change over to targeted cash transfer to the beneficiary (who will then take the cash to buy from the private merchant- national or multinational); privatization of people’s assets be they public sector unit or banks or natural resources; and enable policy determination by the market rather than a process of planning.

One has only to walk into any road or lane of Delhi to see the link between the above concerns of the second independence and the elections in Delhi. Every road, small or big has the Prime Minister seeking your vote. It is neither the party he represents or the candidate who aspires to represent you who is seeking your vote. The Prime Minister himself addresses four rallies and a host of Ministers in the Union Cabinet and Members of Parliament actively campaign instead of the local and neighbourhood leaders. If this evidence is not enough, full page advertisement on the eve and day of elections in all the newspapers lists out the achievements of the Government of India.

The verdict of the opinion polls as well as the betting tables, is that PM Modi has lost the elections. Does it therefore mean that people of Delhi have rejected the “second independence” and the consequent policies mentioned above? The question is relevant since the opposite; a decisive victory for PM Modi would have been held up as a verdict in favour. What then are the implications, not just at the level of the Delhi state but at the national level since as stated earlier even the villagers in a remote corner of Andhra Pradesh had actively participated in these unusual elections?

The chink in the armour is obvious. The challenge for the Prime Minister is one of recalibration and reassignment of priorities. The gauntlet has been thrown, by the have-nots of Delhi from the polling booths located in their slums, to those who stand against the ideology of the second independence.

Can they regroup, can they like the victors of Delhi, speak directly to the people not in narrow ideological or caste terms, but as defenders of the core values that defined the first and only independence the Indian people cherish? History will bear witness to what happens in the months and years before the next general elections.

Latest News