Metro polls: Aspirational Delhi v/s harassed aam aadmi

Stable government or an honest system is the dilemma of Delhi

shishir

Shishir Tripathi | February 5, 2015 | New Delhi



Aam aadmi in the metro is debating. It is no more an oblivious crowd with earphones-raging out loud music-plugged in the ears. They are discussing politics, especially Delhi elections, Narendra Modi and Arvind Kejriwal.

The core theme of the debate: “What is your priority, is it a stable government or an honest system in place.”

READ: Unconventional leaders define Delhi assembly polls

R S Rauthan, a Mehrauli resident feels that BJP would provide a stable government.”I feel that for educated people stable government is an utmost priority. In spite of all good intentions, AAP will not be able to do the same. And to bring any significant change you need a stable government”, says, Rauthan.

But it seems to be the case for “educated” and upper class. For those belonging to the lower income group, AAP gives them an assurance. Surprisingly, they value this aam assurance more than anything.

Sunny Yadav, who works in Courier Company says, “a lot of us feel that the AAP government was good. In that short span of time we could live comfortably. To get our work done we were not required to pay any bribe to any government official.”

When economist Kaushik Basu said that “harassment bribe” should be legalised, he seemingly was totally ignorant about how much it matters in shaping the political preference.

Mateen, an auto rickshaw driver, living in Salempur says, “One cannot imagine what kind of harassment we have to face by police and other government officials. We have to regularly pay bribes to them. And because of that we sometime overcharge the passengers. However In those 49 days we felt that we were also equal. We were never harassed and in turn we never overcharged any commuter.”

Kiran, an official with a government telecom company says, “Last time we voted for BJP. But AAP came to power and in spite of many constraints, they did well. This time I wish to vote AAP.

Kejriwal’s 49-day government rule seems to be still resonating and people want to give him another shot.

But writing off the BJP will be a big mistake. Their supporters are silent but they are certain. J K Gandhi an old time ‘jan sangh’ supporter says, “we are not making noise but let me tell you, there are so many people who believe in Modi’s leadership. They will vote for him.”

Before Gandhi could say more, Amit, a B.Com student from Kirori Mal College says, “many of my friends are smitten by Modi’s personality. He is decisive and will surely bring India on world stage.”

Our metro journey ends with Amit’s assertion. But to conclude an outcome of the Delhi elections and the future of the national capital is another journey.

Comments

 

Other News

Railways imposed ₹5.13 crore fine for food quality and hygiene violations

Indian Railways serve about 58 crore meals every year on an average. About only 0.0008% food quality related complaints are received on average. Based on complaints during the last three years, appropriate penal actions have been taken by IRCTC. Such actions include imposition of fines amounting to ₹5.13

STHAVAR: Why every Indian built asset needs a permanent digital identity

India has built digital systems for identity, payments, taxation, documents, logistics and public services. State governments, ministries, infrastructure agencies and urban local bodies have also created portals for land records, building permissions, project monitoring, property taxation and municipal s

Saksham Skill census identifies 22,000 job-ready candidates in one Mumbai ward

A first-of-its-kind AI-enabled skill census conducted in Mumbai`s H-West Ward has identified a potential livelihood pipeline of nearly 22,000 candidates, generated over 32,000 provisional job matches while revealing that 71.2 per cent of surveyed homemakers are willing to join the workforce, according to

GI tags: Scaling traditional wealth into global brands

Geographical Indication (GI) tags have emerged as a powerful tool for protecting India`s cultural heritage, while creating economic opportunities for local communities. By linking products to their place of origin, GI tags preserve traditional knowledge, prevent misuse, and enhance consumer trust. They h

BMC: 207 officials in ACB net, 112 still on duty, 68 retire before justice catches up

There are significant delays in the handling of corruption cases involving officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), a Right to Information (RTI) response obtained by rights activist Jeetendra Ghadge has revealed. As of 30 April 2026, 207 BMC officials face Anti-Corruption Bureau (A

The transformation trap: Why efficiency is not innovation

Every company is transforming, or so it claims.   There was a time when the word ‘transformation’ carried weight. It signified bold strategic shifts, reinvention of business models, and breakthrough technologies that fundamentally changed how organizations created

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter