Rooting for the Devil

This topic has interested me ever since I saw House of Cards for the first time. Whilst planning for a trip, I try to read up and know about a city. It so happened that one of my projects landed me in Washington D.C where I was to stay for a couple of months. Always excited about US presidential system, there was nothing more I would have asked for than to be located out of the heart of American democracy (I even wrote to the White House, but then that's a different story). So, to plan for the same, I watched "House of Cards", and read "The Lost Symbol" just to get pre-excited about the city I had always dreamed to visit – see the apotheosis of Washington, go to the well-lined historic museums including the holocaust museum (a must visit), and glance at the Hope diamond. Coming back to the topic – When I realized that I was rooting for Frank Underwood, the protagonist of House of Cards, and also a murderer (sorry for the spoils), I did not give it much of a thought except a few water cooler talks with a colleague who shared the same feelings about the show. Then you look back and realize that there may be a trend here, and possibly a wider ramification.

When you find yourself in awe of Ramsay Bolton (Game of Thrones) – you explain to yourself that it's all about how well Iwan Rheon played that character. I was reminded of a role that epitomized the versatility of Shahrukh Khan. It was that of Rahul – the passionate lover in 1993 flick Darr – that helped catapult his career, whilst the 'hero' of the movie receded into the oblivion. Clearly there is a bit of 'mass' appeal.  Needless to say you find more quotes attributed to the "Joker" in the hustling old Delhi markets or at the poster vendors when you are about to ascend those metro stairs than those from the Batman – there clearly is something that draws us to the "not so good' guys.

I am neither a psychologist nor am I writing to prove or disprove anything – but is there a deeper realization that underlie this? Strangely enough, our infatuation with the not so good reflects an inherent double standards – one standard for what we see on screen whilst a completely different for personal lives – almost bordering a duplicitous nature of human beings. How difficult is it to forgive? Very hard, actually – in real life we keep chasing perfection everywhere – work, partnership, love, friendship – you name it. Whilst our attitude is reconciliatory towards the drawbacks in a character of a film (sometimes even being emotionally overwhelmed by their actions or causes), in real life, we are relentlessly unforgiving about one mistake your friend makes, one conversation that didn't go right or one small thing that irked you into being unforgiving – from the most loving and caring friend, you become recluse and uncaring ; from being an equal partner, you become aloof and indifferent ; and what pinches, is from you being that one stop for everything they needed, you are now one sour memory for the one whose company you placed high premium on. And Why? All, because one never forgives, and possibly, easily forgets – our obduracy and ego underlies what's wrong with relationships today – lopsided, and emotionally detached from at least one end.

But this is not a 101 on how to cement a deep friendship - it is merely an observation.

Gratitude:  The doodle was very graciously offered by my friend Aastha, who excels at this art. Please check out her Instagram page  https://www.instagram.com/doodlesbyaastha/

Dreams amid nightmare

Interestingly, I have often found studying about dreams to be boring, and too abstract for comfort and logic. That perspective has not changed even now. That been said, I have been dreaming more frequently these days – probably, the mind is not taking to the lockdown as seamlessly as your governments will want you to. Whilst one's dreams may range from the sublime to the most ridiculous, mine seem to veer close to being ridiculous. A few nights ago, I dreamt that President Trump had appointed me as his chief campaign manager – and was prying on me if I were doing my job dutifully (or possibly just confirming if I were a CNN mole in his party cadre). The prying manifested with him sheepishly coming into my room, an old second tier city house in India, devoid of the White House grandeur, yet, big enough to not make the president feel uncomfortable. He had come to check what was I up to ; I even had a few papers in my hand ready to hand them over to him, and then saw him recede back to where he came from, satisfied that I was doing my job well or probably disappointed that he could not fire me – hard to tell.

Another dream had Lord Shiva standing next to my bed at 2 am ! This time I woke up with a startle, unable to fathom what had happened, and did I just do the Darshan live? – My mom contests the latter. She feels, with a probable sense of anguish and sigh, that if with the age long prayers, especially the one meticulously done on Mondays the needle hasn't moved for her, I am cheating myself into believing that the lord could come for me - someone who is agnostic, bordering an atheist. I agree, a far fetched idea ; one clearly needs to elevate oneself to be worthy enough for that divine vision, a commonly acceptable belief in the religious parlance. My family may have contributed to the TRP of Doordarshan that saw peak viewership amid C-19, and may also be the reason for this dream. They have been airing all the bhakti series of the past (late 80s and 90s) has seen extensive usage of my TV set at the prime time. Starting with Ramayana, then Krishna and now Vishnu Puran. Throw in a bit of speaker amplified bhajans here and there during the day, and it makes a perfect recipe to allow for a darshan – figment of my imagination, as mom would call it, a Darshan, as I would like to believe. I am just glad thus far that Alif Laila with its million Jinns haven't made it to prime time, as yet. 

Other dreams transport you back in time. You wake up helpless, not knowing what to do, feeling almost remorseful about waking up. Just last night, I dreamt of a beautiful, graceful lady in mine – oddly enough resembling someone I probably know from my past – or may be even that was my imagination? Not sure. But that was the third time in a period span of these lockdown period that she was central to my dream. She was impeccably dressed in white, hair tied in a bun, sitting cross-legged and talking to someone, having snacks from a plate. I was somewhere near but didn’t have the guts to confront her - I hid nearby just to get a glimpse, and gazed at her intently, nervously fixated on one who remains the most beautiful woman I have ever met or seen - a thin line of Kajal drawn to perfection across her eyes, the face shone with a hue of red matching the most gracious of dawns, and the gloss of her lips almost twinkled as if a lighthouse drawing sailors to it. It probably represented the purity in her soul that mere mortals cannot comprehend. In another, she wore a checkered red shirt, was more accessible - I had graduated into being a friend, and already were discussing a glorious past in a playful mood. We even exchanged little notes, neatly and historically packaged into respective bottle which we could not probably share before - much like those messages in bottles at sea, that took years to reach a reader. No idea what to make of such dreams.

Interestingly enough, the divine lady and the not so divine President, were a part of the same dream. May be I needed the most powerful person on the planet to help convey my feelings to her, or broker a friendship...who knows how the subconscious works! Or, maybe, showing both the sublime and the ridiculous in the same dream was God’s way of telling me that I was being ridiculous!

Image courtesy: Wallpaper flare

Movie Review : Bridge of Spies

“I thought that dad had gone fishing!” – says the daughter of James Donovan (Tom Hanks), primarily an Insurance lawyer, as she hears the news of her father’s foreign trip making national headlines. Where was Donovan? Why was he on the TV? Well, in an enthralling 2 hours, this movie recreates the Hanks-Spielberg magic once again. Set in 1950s-60s, the movie keeps throwing back images from the duo’s well acclaimed “Catch me if you can”.

The Cold war has kept the world on its toes. With both US and USSR, fearing actions and reactions, the movie captures an essential humane aspect of the life of spies. Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance) was suspected of spying for Russians in America and put in American prison. To ensure that he got a “fair trial”, the US appoints the initially hesitant Donovan to fight the case on Abel’s side. Donovan loses the case, but resolves to take the fight to the Supreme Court. Never questioning whether Abel was indeed a spy, Donovan develops into an empathizing lawyer, who wants to see a “spy who was doing his duty for his country”, be shown leniency. While Donovan succeeds in getting the death sentence commuted to imprisonment, the essence lay in the logic of argument he uses to convince the judge to keep Abel alive, which eventually becomes a reality allowing a ray of hope for Abel to return to his country. Twist comes when an American fighter pilot is captured by the Russians. What follows is a gripping and intense drama that unfolds nervous moments and new developments that increases the scope of the back-channel role that the US government entrusts Donovan with. The effort Donovan takes to bring another young American college student detained in East Germany, shows the strength of his character. What is the role that Donovan plays in the entire episode? Does he succeed in his mission or does he aggravate the prevailing condition for the worst?

Tom Hanks is God of such roles, impeccable and honest. He is very well supported by Mark Rylance who is by no means a second fiddle to Hanks, but an equal partner in all his scenes with the veteran. When Hanks asks him repeatedly in the movie “Shouldn’t you be worried?” he answers as stoically as one can, and every time, “Would that help”, carrying the dialogue with utmost conviction, in what makes the audience appreciate the scene with teary giggle. He evokes a sense of sympathy, akin to one you have for Tom Hanks in The Terminal. Spielberg, like Hitchcock, knows how to set context through scenes. In an opening scene where Hanks argues how an accident involving an accident involving 5 people, is just “one incident” and not “discrete set of 5 incidents”, manifests itself later when dealing with the Russians.

Overall this movie is a great watch. Get hold of this movie at the cinema halls before they bring it down. 

The Martian – A review

Set under a pretext of a Mars mission of NASA, The Martian is a good light-on-the-mind movie. Should scientific intricacy be the trigger point for wanting to watch Space focused movies, this will disappoint you, especially if you have seen the likes of Armageddon and Apollo 13.  However, if you are in maddening love with Matt Damon or the red planet and possibilities of nurturing life there, book your tickets.

Based on Andy Weir’s 2011 novel by the same name, this movie has a powerful performance by the protagonist Mark Watney, played by Matt Damon. Hit by a storm, the crew of Ares III, the spaceship, had to leave the planet without Mark, who was feared dead in the furious storm, only to be realize later he was alive. It’s an inspiring journey thereon of a man fighting to survive on an uninhabited planet. Where his supplies can last only for a few days, Mark does not give up. With his Botany knowledge to his rescue, Mark cultivates potatoes to keep himself alive till the next shuttle would come for his rescue, improvises on the rover to reach the landing site of Ares IV, which had some infrastructure already planted by NASA and devises a communication mechanism with NASA engineers at Cape Canaveral. But all these is not without their share of additional challenges.

Dabbled with spurts of humorous one liners, the movie has some mind-catching monologues, be it one where Mark, after having grown potatoes on the red planet successfully, poses for camera and says “It might sound arrogant, but I am the best Botanist on the planet” or when he refers to Neil Armstrong, mocking the great’s achievements as nothing when compared to his own, being the first one to do anything on Mars. Science Nazis would have loved to see Ridley Scott (the Director) depict the gravitational difference (Mars’s being 40% of Earth’s) in the movie, but clearly he chose to ignore, as Mark walked on the planet as he would probably do on Earth.  

What happens in the end? Does he succeed at surviving? Do the crew return to rescue their own or would NASA veto any such decision by the former against risking the lives of the rest? These are some questions that will keep you hooked in what is portrayed as a see-saw struggle for survival. The Guardian’s comparing Matt’s act with the great Tom Hank’s Castaway performance and an 8.4 rating on IMDb, surely makes a strong case to watch; just don’t go expecting an Interstellar or Gravity.  

Review: Rajdeep Sardesai's "2014 : The Election that Changed India"

“A field of history dabbled with seeds of contemporary Indian polity, ploughed by years of experience in the field of journalism” is my one line description for Rajdeep’s “2014 The Election that Changed India”.  Interestingly, I was driven to reading this book not because of my passion for Politics, but because of a joke that went around that whatever question asked, Rajdeep would reply with “To know more, please read my book”.

“The quest for equality is a constant motivator for the have-nots” is how this book reasons why the poor vote more than the higher income groups; a logical statement in hindsight, but something that does not occur intuitively, at least did not to me. Likewise the book constantly comes up with fancy few liners from time to time, with relations drawn from author’s proximity to Hindi films and Cricket. Written in simple English, it has content for everyone. The key to this book is that it does very well at anticipating what the readers would expect to read about subsequently in the book.  With specific chapters dedicated to most important figureheads (Modi, Rahul, Kejriwal and the ‘never to be’ kingmakers) of the election and key occurring, Rajdeep has aimed to write on a subject that is probably most complex- Indian elections. Readers will find the narration of his own experiences captivating, almost giving one the pleasure of running through scenes of a fictional book. He has captured in great detail the specific nuances of such as handling of the media by Modi, errors committed by the Congress and the new force that emerged with Arvind Kejriwal and has not forgotten to introspect where media has been wrong. This book is honest. That taking over of Network 18 by the Reliance Group came in the way of objective journalism and author’s consequent resignation is well specified in the book. His dismay with kind of journalism that promotes sensationalism over sense is very clear where he references not-so-subtly to the style followed by one of his former colleagues who now runs a prime time news show for a different channel.

It has its share of shortcomings as well. For instance, Rajdeep goes way too much in depth on Modi’s campaign to an extent where it becomes repetitive. Mythology is always open to multiple readings, however, on page 285, while explaining Jairam Ramesh’s touting Modi as Bhasmasur, the author references Bhasmasur as a character “who had destroyed his creator”, not quite. The character was granted a wish to turn anyone into ashes by his mere touch, and he “attempted” to destroy the creator, not successfully.  On publishing front, on page 1 itself, the book says ‘By 9:30 a.m., it was certain that Narendra Modi would be India’s fourteenth Prime Minister”. It should be “fifteenth” instead; a fact corrected on a later page. A due apology is made by publisher for mentioning wrong year for the Agra summit. Use of American vs British English should have been debated first and that small inconsistency error could have been avoided.

The book is a great read overall. Coming from a seasoned journalist, this is a good account of insider's story that people interested in politics must read. 

Rajdeep signing my personal copy

Rajdeep and I

Exchange : With Siddharth Varadarajan

Dear friends, 

Regarding one of PM Modi's foreign visits, I put across my point of views to the eminent columnist Siddharth Varadarajan, to which he humbly replied. 

Article I responded to can be read at : http://www.ndtv.com/article/opinion/modi-s-gita-comment-was-dangerously-loaded-586159?fb

_________________________________________________________________

Me : 

Dear Mr. Vardarajan,

Trust all’s good.

I chanced upon this article you wrote on the gifting of the Gita. Whilst it is well ornamented with flowery words that can impress upon the Tharoors of the world, it lacks merit of a balanced discussion. By writing   this piece, you proved the PM right again. You have initiated it, and now others, who were quiet just to ensure that   they don’t prove Modi right, will start speaking up. I guess News X has already done a show on this.

As for the hate mongering against a particular community is concerned, I have a different theory that emanates from looking at a wider picture than a one siloed by prejudice. I like the humbleness in the way the government is reacting and talking about inclusive growth. You will see that consistent across the country (perhaps apart from in UP which I will detail in a bit). I like the idea that the government is for the people of India than for appeasing a particular section of the society. What is happening in UP is a clear sign of state sponsored evangelism for a particular section of the society at the cost of basic human rights (and trampling upon a women’s honor to achieve a sinister end)! I would have expected you to write a piece on that. Email me if I missed it.

I will await a more balanced piece from you in future. Probably a one where I will be able to see a prime ministerial visit in the shades of black and white, what was achieved and what was not that are critical to the country. I am sure you will write on that, given your Aug 30th article on "Calibrating India's terms of engagement with Japan" as a precursor to the visit. I would, and every youth would hardly be interested in a piece written by well-known journalists like you on the color of the fish fed by Modi being saffron.

Hope to see more insights from your coming article. Please don't see it as an outright rejection of the piece, but just a pulse check of what the people want to hear about from people of your eminence. Please check several comments on your blog to sense a mood. 

http://www.ndtv.com/article/opinion/modi-s-gita-comment-was-dangerously-loaded-586159?fb

Greatest respect and regards

Reply from Mr. Varadarajan

Dear Rahul,
I proved Modi right?
Modi said "secular friends" would call his act of gifting the Gita communal.
I have praised the Gita and the gift.
I have discussed what the central message of the Gita is.
And I have said the PM ought to follow that message and do his duty even if it means waging war against people who are his (political) kith and kin.
So what exactly are you objecting to?
Thanks for taking the trouble to write, btw.

My final response 

Thank you very much sir for the revert. Really appreciate your taking time out and must compliment you on that.

I had a couple of observation which perhaps I should have squeezed in in my earlier email. My apologies for not doing so. Hopefully these points would make it clear.

1. The reference to "Rajdharma"
This is a media cliche and classic case of picking up a line out of context. If you youTube the video where PM Vajpayee supposedly advises Mr. Modi,  it is clear that the subsequent sentence was "I believe he is following the Raj Dharma". One has full rights to express a concern, but not based on half baked factoids.

2. Citing of the Gita 

I am glad that you highlighted one of the central messages of the Gita, however, your subsequent remark and undertone of Modi's understanding of the Gita perhaps tilted the article more in the parlance of getting back to the normal extension of "He is communal". 

3. Building up humour in Politics

It's aspirational that we in India can have a ceremony on the lines of the White House correspondents dinner. If you recall the one where Obama and McCain were seated side by side taking jibes and each other and the media ; President Bush doing so by mocking himself >> Imagine , if an Indian PM does it, what will media say (think on the lines of the "puppy" remark)? If Modi makes fun of his knowledge of history, you (media) will take it as face value and say "Oh, he does not know his history" and the Manishankars would advise him to go back to selling teas as he does not fit the elite group. My point in this context is, that when Modi mentioned "Seculars" , he was taking a jibe at the so called intelligentsia and political parties who indulge in all sort communal activities , appeasement et al. and then club him a communal. He has had enough of it. Must remind that there was a thunderous applause once he made that comments complemented by laughter (a good punch line, I would say).
The other day an article quoted Shekhar Gupta (who I have great respect for as well) as " Modi’s recent Independence Day speech, which was widely hailed as "forward-looking and modern" was also, as the columnist Shekhar Gupta pointed out, "pure RSS" in its emphasis on "family values, morality, cleanliness, discipline and patriotism."
Which of that virtue is not that of a good Indian citizen? That's in fact universal. The article was written in a pessimistic tone (http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-08-31/india-s-foolish-crush-on-japan) and rather laughable in its content, however, just underscores the point that media is judging too soon and rather finding elephants in could.
These are my opinion based on the limited I know of politics and society. 

_________________________________________________________

Keeping us honest,

Happy reading

Rahul

...Because Mr. K is an Honorable man

I could not help but see a parallel between the behaviour of the Romans during Caesar and us Indians during the recent developments that were supposed to change the face of politics. Romans were fickle and so are we. We blindly trusted what this new party (AAP) promised without logically questioning the promises. Thanks to the 15 year ‘rule’ of the Congress, we were ready to accept anyone but the congress. But, despite getting just 8 seats, the Congress did manage to form the government. Did they not? See beyond the veil and you will know.

Here are a few observations cum solutions for the Chief Protestor of Delhi.

1. A party of U turns, yet Mr. K is an honorable man

When Mr. K left Anna Hazare, he did so under the pretext that the days for protests were over and now it is time for action. He has gone back on these words and again sat on dharna against the policemen who did not follow the orders of his minister, inconveniencing a lot many Delhiites. He asked people not to join him in these protests, but just a day into the dharna, he made another turn and asked everyone to pour in and threaten to flood Rajpath with lakhs of supporters. While this incident is recent, there is a history to it.

If you recall, Mr. K had promised to take actions against Sheila Dixit for her alleged role in various scams. He went to the extent of saying that he had the proof against Ms. Dixit (a 370 page report). The moment he came to power, he started dilly dallying and asked BJP instead to furnish him with the proofs. That is a serious breach of trust of the people and there are other such instances.

The most glaring of course remains the fact that despite swearing on his children that he won’t take Congress’s support, he formed the government with them. Clearly ‘Kursi’ triumphed ‘values’. Many AAP supports would say “ we went to the people of Delhi and through SMS responses they asked us to come to power ” . Are you that naïve? You do not know who is voting, Delhi or rest of India, Children below 18 or adults who exercised their rights to vote, Congress supporters who would want that their party still call the shots or genuine people who had an opinion! There is no way of tracking those, yet, you eclipsed yourself behind “AAM Admi” for that decision.

Getting a buy in first from 10 Janpath will be useful before every announcement.

2. Misplaced policies that does not benefit the needy, but, he is an honorable man

The policies that they are trying to implement do not benefit the ones they are placed for. For example in case of the Water subsidy, only people who can afford to pay and do not require any subsidy on water would benefit. The tankers with leaking waters will continue to go to those slums who greatly require the water. There will still be fights on the streets over buckets of water and there will always be the water mafia who would continue to exploit. What they should have done was to work on the supply side – something like a project to clean the Yamuna and then in a certain time period install water meters in all the households of Delhi. Populism won’t benefit the poor, it benefits just AAP.

Then comes the Power subsidy– announcement of reduction of power tariff by 50% (though Mr. K subsequently suggested that it is only under consideration) was also in conjunction with the CM’s earlier appeal to not pay the power bills. What is has led to is that those who adhered to his suggestions are now being summoned by courts for power thefts. Instead of em-‘powering’ the people, he is taking the steam out of Delhi’s life.

FDI in retail –  No research behind this decision. We do not know why they are opposing FDI in retail. What you should do is to study the cases across the world and then come to a conclusion. Make Delhi a level playing field for our local vendors and then introduce the FDI in retail to foster competition. This will benefit the consumers and also the farmers who will not have to go through middle men.

Law and leader – Mr. Somnath  Bharti can go around calling women prostitutes and people who support the AAP do not even say  a word. Is that the sign of a political party that will work concertedly for the rights and safety of women? Also, what about our relation with foreign nations (read Uganda for the time being)? Are we not compromising our positions thanks to a few rogue leaders! 

3. Arrogance in everything he does, but, he is an honorable man

Mr K and his team have started questioning the integrity of Kiran Bedi, who most of the Delhi admires for her courage and wisdom. Just like a Manishankar Aiyyer’s IQ level, Mr. K’s team’s seems to have hit a new low.  Mr Kumar Vishwas of his party seems to drip in the arrogance of power every time he speaks. If you follow his comments, you would understand his views on women. I will refrain myself from detailing. Mr. Somnnath Bharti, the “law” minister who Mr K feels is a worthy soldier in this “fight against corruption” talks about spitting on Arun Jaitley and Harish Salve. Reason  - Because their opinions differ from those of Mr. Bharti. News anchor turned politician Ashutosh (for whom it can safely be said that he was furthering the cause of AAP as an anchor for IBN 7 , an act totally against the ethics of journalism and also a ramification of the paid news nexus) appeals that “Kiran Bedi should be taught a lesson”. That was because Kiran Bedi had read to him from Roget’s dictionary the meaning of “anarchy”. Mr K himself has gone on abusing the police to such an extent that the people of Delhi are actually beginning to feel sympathetic towards the police. What will that do to police morale? You , as the chief minister do not talk about the Police reforms and instead keep on badgering the police on any opportune moment. Remember, at the end of the day, while you were busy getting clicked sleeping in the cold, there were a lot many policemen and police women who woke up the entire night to provide you security. Quickly adding that more would have been spent on your security in these days thanks to your unruly ways that would have otherwise.

On the integrity of Mr. K himself, I will share an excerpt from an article that I read in the Hindu. (Courtesy: http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/understanding-arvind-kejriwal/article5590889.ece) ..

“While serving as a Joint Commissioner in the Revenue Department (Income Tax) under the Finance Ministry, he went on a sabbatical (paid leave) from November 1, 2000 to October 31, 2002, and went abroad. One condition for such leave is that the employee must serve continuously for at least three years after return, failing which he or she must pay back the salary he drew over two years with penalty.

There is a bond to be executed, with witnesses and guarantors. Mr. Kejriwal re-joined duty on November 1, 2002 but at once went on 18 months’ leave without pay: he did not serve continuously. He resigned in February 2006. As he had jumped bond, his resignation was not accepted.

The Income Tax Department sent him a notice in 2007 and again in 2008 asking him to pay up. Mr. Kejriwal, who was by then appearing on TV almost every day, expected the government to budge. He said the government could deduct the dues from his retirement benefits; as he had done no wrong, his dues must be waived. After sending a notice on August 5, the department sent another in September asking him to pay up before October 27, 2011 — failing which he would not be relieved and he would not get his retirement benefits.

Attachment of his property and criminal action could follow. Mr. Kejriwal termed it an attempt to create obstacles to his agitation against corruption. When he did not respond by October 27, the department asked his guarantors to pay. Mr. Kejriwal pleaded his friends should not be disturbed. When it became clear the government would initiate proceedings, he announced on October 30, 2011 that he would borrow from his friends and pay the dues of Rs.9.28 lakh. He wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on November 3, 2011 enclosing the cheque.”

“

Concluding remarks

When we were promised corruption free Delhi, we envisioned a government machinery that was above suspicion. That has clearly not been the case. In fact, the CM himself has gone against the oath that he took to preserve the constitution of India and abide by the rule of law.  People say that is has barely been a few days for them in the power. I say, if this is how the first 20 – 25 days look, imagine the chaos that will be created in the 5 years, if they were to complete the term.  Add to that, the attitude of AAP supporters - “I am the most honest man walking around. If you differ from me, you are corrupted by the system”.

The AAP should either get their act together (and I wish them well) or the Grand old party of India should (for a change) relieve us from this ordeal by withdrawing the support from them.

People should know one thing – any vote for AAP is a vote for the Congress in broader picture and one that will lead to a fractured mandate and with it to its evils. They are just another political party with “satta ki lalsa” (lust for the chair) which they proved by declaring their national aspiration without proving themselves in Delhi. Please do not be fooled by a man screeching “I am your messiah” (or one who ostensibly screams “Do not reject paying a bribe but video bana lo”)