Talk To AK is Kejriwal's answer to Modi's Mann Ki Baat
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's outreach programme with the citizens - Mann Ki Baat has got a challenger now, and it is the new kid on the block, the AAP.
Arvind Kejriwal's outfit on Sunday (July 17) held the inaugural version of Talk To AK, where the Delhi chief minister first began with a not-so-short speech detailing various works his government had done and then took questions from the public through phone, sms, Twitter and Facebook.
The event that lasted for two hours was quite a hit on social media and remained the top India trend for hours and its Facebook page has garnered 1.5 lakh followers already.
The immediate success of the show aside, Talk To AK is something in which both the party and the voters will emerge as winners in the longer run too, for the following reasons:
1. Harnessing social media and reducing dependence on mainstream media
Talk To AK helps cut the middleman - the media - out of the people-politician interaction.
Other leaders who have been slow to get on the technology bandwagon must catch up soon or be out of contention in the 2019 general elections where a large section of the reaching out to masses would shift to the social media space.
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| PM Modi delivering Mann Ki Baat. |
An initiative like Talk To AK should have been done before. It's cost-effective and convenient for the leader as well as the masses. So in the times to come, one wouldn't be surprised that it's adopted by others across the political spectrum and becomes a trendsetter of sorts.
2. Can make governance more people-centric and ensure more power to the people
The ease of interaction and the accessibility to top leaders that Talk To AK and such programmes can provide can make governance more people-centric. It can help cut through the bureaucratic labyrinth that keeps leaders aloof to the concerns of the people.
But to tap its full potential, there must be a transparent mechanism to ensure the selection of questions and suggestions is not manipulated.
One does not know how this was done in Talk To AK but the questions didn't appear to be manipulated. Still, the AAP will inspire more confidence by making complete disclosure about the mechanism.
The scene of a citizen calling about the flooding owing to dug up roads could be dismissed as meaningless theatrics. But it holds a powerful message - that of the citizens having their say in governance.
The potential to incorporate people in governance, giving them more voice and improving their access to their representatives can go a long way in ensuring more power to the people and deepening democracy.
3. A disarming simplicity which gave it a touch of spontaneity
Politically, the talk was again noticeable for its easily perceivable simplicity. Kejriwal characteristically was in a simple dress, his language was that of the common man and at times he even faltered with certain words that seemed out of place, though one got the sense.
Delhi's deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who was beside Kejriwal, also interjected at times. But this fragility, instead of reducing the appeal of the talk, only made it seem more spontaneous. The simplicity of the rising star of Indian politics is what makes him all the more distinct and popular with the common man. This was again on display in the talk.
4. Politically astute with an eye on the future
Talk To AK is a brand that is not just about getting Kejriwal's message across here and now. It's also about making a contrast with Modi.
Consider this: next to Modi's Mann Ki Baat, Talk To AK is the only initiative by any other leader who has such a wide national audience. It says something about Kejriwal's political astuteness and proves that today he is among the few leaders with a pan-India appeal.
The comparison of Talk To AK with Mann Ki Baat makes the former stand out for being interactive compared to being a monologue that has invited criticism for Modi's initiative.
Also by hosting the programme on a separate medium, it ensured it was not being imposed on anybody who is not interested. This is distinctly more democratic.
There are some concerns about how appropriate the Delhi government's footing of the bills of the event was, considering it also had political overtones. But the same objection has also been raised against Mann Ki Baat.
So which of the two initiatives of outreach - Mann Ki Baat or Talk To AK is better only time will tell but one thing is sure - in Talk To AK, the AAP has found its answer to Modi's Mann Ki Baat.