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Warning: March of the Mufflerman nightmare ahead

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Kishwar Desai
Kishwar DesaiFeb 02, 2015 | 10:48

Warning: March of the Mufflerman nightmare ahead

If the polls are to be believed, Delhi could be facing a disastrous outcome. What could be worse than an AAP government, with their shrill narrative and street smart guerrilla tactics? I no longer have any idea what the party stands for, all I remember is their past record of governance in which months were wasted in grandstanding. Could Delhi be actually sleepwalking into five years of mayhem, electing those who think that by wearing Gandhi caps, a light will be flicked on and wisdom will dawn?

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Wearing caps declaring "I Am An Aam Aadmi" is like a man-eating tiger wearing a woolly frock and declaring "I am a sheep". Or a Mercedes painted with the words "I am actually an auto rickshaw". The cap by itself means nothing. Most of the leaders wearing it are not "aam" anymore. The words are merely words, the symbolism of which died the day the Anna Hazare movement petered out.

At that time, the Aam Aadmi caps reminded us of how the Congress had pretended to be an "Aam Aadmi" party and then became the epitome of crony capitalism. We still have no idea how much loot was accumulated under the garb of being a party of the common man. And perhaps we shall never know, because many of the files were not just left in washrooms, they were probably flushed down the toilets. And so now, a former respected minister Jayanthi Natrajan cries foul, but the erstwhile party of the mango people is too busy protecting their one "Khaas Aadmi".

Meanwhile, we can spot Kejriwal, disguised as Mufflerman still parading around with his face swathed even as the days turn warmer. Perhaps he fears people will recognise him as the one-who-ran-away once he takes the muffler off.

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Apart from the fact that AAP has been assiduously wooing the deprived and the underprivileged in Delhi by promising them nearly free water, electricity and homes, there are few things which Mufflerman says which make any sense. Fortunately for him, since the politics of Delhi have become so very theatrical, all parties can get away with snarling, or biting or making cynical jibes. The decibel levels rise higher, but the election has stopped making sense.

As one very worried denizen of Delhi, I appeal to the middle class, to please, please turn out and vote in large numbers. Only you can defeat the chaos that lies ahead for all of us, if Mufflerman manages to convince his target audience that he can sweep in immediate change. Please remember it is not possible overnight. We knew it long before Prime Minister Modi was elected. We all knew that even he needed time to deliver.

And Modi is an experienced administrator. Now if you hand over Delhi to a bunch of amateurs who enjoy nothing more than street politics, you will slow down the pace of Delhi's development disastrously. As AAP learns on our time, Delhi will continue to crumble and decay.

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Only the middle class can now halt the march of the Mufflerman. Will it rise the occasion?

Last updated: February 02, 2015 | 10:48
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