By Rajiv Punj
NEW DELHI: Arvind Kejriwal is becoming a phenomenon by the day. He is certainly a thorn in the side of the BJP which feels that this novice politician may derail chances of Narendra Modi becoming the next Prime Minister of India.
In fact, Modi had already started assuming that there was nothing stopping him from becoming the next Prime Minister till the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) erupted on the political scene of the country.
In a rally in Goa the other day when Modi was forced to mention the threat from the fledging party, he dismissed AAP leaders for their “lack of experience” and said that the country needed “people who have experience to take it forward and we are determined to do that”.
Obviously, it is a sign of the BJP’s discomfort that a leader of Modi’s stature has to dismiss the AAP as a bunch of novice leaders.
Arvind Kejriwal and his party have forced leaders of all parties to rethink their strategies and do deep introspection.
They cannot find anything against the AAP yet and thus are struggling to counter an android that has struck them. As the AAP is yet free from political garbage, the other parties have nothing to comment on it. They are just sniffing around for some lame excuses to rubbish the AAP.
Both the BJP and the Congress are today jittery because of the quick ascendancy of the AAP which went to the public with one single purpose: talk about their issues and address them.
The AAP mission is to root out corruption and give a CLEAN administration to the country which the Constitution promised them more than 60 years ago, but leaders failed.
It certainly seems to be some cosmological phenomenon that reminds us of the very famous scene from a story that we all heard and studied in our childhood. It was the Pied Piper of Hamelin who used to play music with his pipe and all the rats followed him after liking the music desperately and that’s how the common men of Hamelin got rid of those rats because of the pied piper. Here too, people are loving the mission by the AAP as the common man is suffering at the hands of corrupt officials.
Sure, all will agree and appreciate that the AAP’s initial efforts are in the right direction, their intentions are pious and they are willing to bite the bullet and catch the bull by the horn in order to give clean governance.
They are showing signs of implementing their ideas. Their initial moves are unquestionably in pursuit of giving ‘swaraj’ to the public. They are willing to enforce discipline, policies and laws which will automatically start cleaning the system.
Bu this willingness will have to get converted into action and that too very soon, otherwise the public will dethrone them and they will vanish overnight. All they have to do is strongly ensure the rule of law and transparent governance.
Though it is too early to be judgmental about the AAP, the public will only measure them by the end results they deliver. We will have to have patience and support them to give their best in our own interest.
(A senior corporate executive with a multinational, Rajiv Punj is based in New Delhi)
Transferring Cancer ?
Arvind Kejriwal’s order to transfer 800 officers of Delhi Jal Board to other departments , is like trying to cure cancer by transferring it from one part of the body to another part !
At worst , these officers will end-up spreading their corrupt practices to those other departments
At best , those other departments now will have , twice to thrice the number of tables to push the files around !
Their current departmental efficiency / productivity of 10 % will further go down to 5 % !
Perhaps , in the short term , Arvind had only this alternative to send out a message
What should he do next ?
Here is a suggestion :
> Invite National Productivity Council to carry out TIME & MOTION studies
and WORK-SAMPLING studies , to set STANDARD TIMES for all activities
/ processes
> Get IIT -Delhi , to monitor the individual and departmental efficiencies
( Ratio of Actual Times / Standard times )
> Publish findings on Delhi Government web site
> Get IIM-A , to develop / install , a Performance Appraisal System based
on ANNUAL OBJECTIVE SETTING exercise for each officer
( MANAGEMENT BY OBJECTIVES )
> Incorporate , elements of ” Self Appraisal ” / ” Superior Appraisal ” and
” Peer Appraisal ”
> Serve ” Show Cause Notice ” to those officers whose productivity is less
than 80 % of the standard in any quarter
> In Service Rules incorporate a clause to terminate the service of a officer
whose productivity falls below 50 % for two consecutive quarters
Over the next 12 months , this exercise should be carried out for all the departments of Delhi government
This is a pre-requisite to the introduction of Guaranteed Delivery of Services Bill
DEAR ARVIND
Cancer cannot be cured by transferring it from one part of the body to another
The affected part must be amputated !
* hemen parekh ( 14 Jan 2014 / Mumbai )
Great take on it.
Please convart talk into action and anwser all quest’s of opposition
Wish he had a magic wand to answer the questions digitally……. Give him time ….support him…..his intentions are pious, his motives are straight and sure it will be in the interest of the common man like you and me who will be the ultimate gainer…
We in the 21st century must look forward to progressive economic policies that helps India propel ahead. Unfortunately populism and populist schemes of subsidy does not really need great brains and is regressive by nature. Congress in the last 65 years have practiced the same and is primarily now facing music when they have no option but to partially withdraw it. Kejri & party have unfortunately stuck into it???? Corruption needs to be tackled at the root level and the cause needs to be addressed rather than the symptoms. AAP is only trying to use public emotions to its benefit and Kejri’s action on babu’s announces that. I take it as a smart move by AAP to find foothold on a highly emotional Indian physche.
fully agree with Anoop Rihal, AAP is doing what congress and its associates have been doing VOTE BANK Politics, without really doing anything. With their Law minister coming in cloud, it seems nothing can be accepted, and we can expect real bad future, I expect and wish to be proven wrong.
Rajiv ji, well said .. he has no magic wand …his intentions are certainly pious, his motives are in the interest of the common man and all he needs is everybody’s support ! Give him some time people for God’s sake, results will definitely follow ……
Remember he can’t do it alone ……he does need your support !
Excellent article with completely unbiased thoughts, Rajiv ji …. God bless you !
That’s right. ASP should be given sufficient time and opportunities to prove themselves. I just pray for them.