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Move Over Syriza & Podemos: Revolutionary Indian Political Party Sweeps New Delhi Elections
Submitted by Mike Krieger via Liberty Blitzkrieg blog,
Critics say that Kejriwal has been acting like a political novice by releasing a slew of allegations that may not come to much. Khurshid, for once, has said that Kejriwal was “an ant taking on the might of an elephant”.
Kejriwal accepts that survival in Indian politics against established political behemoths requires “strategic planning”, acknowledging that his “timing could have been planned better”.
While Kejriwal admits he is still learning, he believes that the truth will prevail. “Remember they may have survived for many decades in politics, but we too are formidable foes in pursuing truth,” he said.
Kejriwal objects to the fact that “power is vested in a political establishment in Delhi and in state capitals. It needs to be people-centric”. His use of street protests has earned him the respect of the middle class.
– From the November 4, 2012 Al Jazeera article: India’s ‘Assange’ crusades against corruption
More than two years ago, I published an article titled, Meet Arvind Kejriwal: “India’s Julian Assange,” which focused on the crusade for social justice of a man I had never heard of. It immediately seemed important to me as further evidence of the nascent global political awakening against corrupt politicians, large corporations and central banks. In the intervening years, we have seen the rise of Syriza in Greece, Podemos in Spain and even Bepe Grillo’s Five Star Movement in Italy. I hadn’t heard of Mr. Kejriwal again…until today.
While the establishment paid little attention to the man back in 2012, they are definitely paying attention now. Mr. Kejriwal has been attacking the entire establishment. For example, India has it’s own useless two party system, consisting of the Congress Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and he’s gone after both of them with equal vigor. It is the BJP that is currently in power, and it was the BJP that Mr. Kejriwal’s Aam Admi Party, or Common Man’s Party, swept aside in local New Delhi elections.
AP reports that:
NEW DELHI (AP) — An upstart anti-corruption party won a smashing victory in elections to install a state government in India’s capital, dealing a huge blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party.
While the results from last weekend’s elections will not have any bearing on the structure of the federal government, they sent a clear message to Modi that he was not invincible despite his party’s strong showing in state elections since it was swept to power last year. They were also an indication of voters’ frustration with endemic corruption.
Thousands of jubilant supporters of former tax collector Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Admi Party, or Common Man’s Party, beat drums and danced in celebration after India’s Election Commission announced results Tuesday showing AAP’s overwhelming win.
“Such a big mandate is very scary, and we should live up to people’s expectations,” Kejriwal told his cheering supporters, who yelled “Five years, Kejriwal!” and showered rose petals on him outside the party’s headquarters in New Delhi.
Analysts said the scale of the defeat of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party was a wake-up call for the government.
Kejriwal has made opposition to widespread graft a centerpiece of his political work. During a brief stint as New Delhi’s leader last year, he promised tough action against police officers and officials caught accepting bribes, and encouraged ordinary people to carry out sting operations by filming officials accepting bribes.
With most votes counted, the Election Commission said the AAP won 66 out of 69 seats, with the BJP winning just three. The AAP was ahead in the one remaining constituency in the 70-seat assembly.
“Something dramatic has happened,” a dejected BJP spokesman Nalin Kohli said.
Kejriwal, a graduate from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology and a former income tax official, became hugely popular during his 2013 election campaign, which honed in on corruption as the country’s greatest menace. While no party won an outright majority in that election, Kejriwal led a minority government for 49 days before resigning, leaving New Delhi under temporary federal government control.
“Democracy is winning today … because an honest man is standing for us,” 22-year-old student Pradeep Kumar said.
What is happening in India, in Europe, and what will eventually come to the U.S., represents a monumental political paradigm shift. When it’s over, the Fourth Turning will be complete, and the world won’t ever look quite the same again. It’s still very early days.
* * *
For related articles, see:
Incredible Video: Beppe Grillo Dissects the Financial System…in 1998
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The picture looks like the "time to make the donuts" guy.
"Anti-corruption" parties always do what they say once they get into office.
Dont let them steal the gold and silver!!
RIPS
There's no cure for corruption, when it has permeated all aspects of life. Only a clean wipe of the slate can achieve such things.This man may be honest, and the "Common Man Party" may gain steam, but there is no going back to 'normal' when errbody out to get some for hisself, and "fuck errbody else, cuz they're probably corrupt anyway."
There is no cure for life (except mass death/extinction). Species and organisms have been consuming one another since their conception in the abiotic soup.
All religions, philosophies, and political philosophies are just more or less sophisticated and subtle contortions of the same principle. One group of people or way of thinking or political party wants to devour another, and they, too, will be devoured some day.
I'm guessing you're also a big hit with the ladies.
Wise guess. The ladies like an alpha man who knows how the world works, embraces it, and isn't going to pussyfoot his way around in self-denial or whine and cry to them about moral injustices every night.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arvind_Kejriwal
He is one of the best leader I have seen in India. A thought leader unlike PM Modi who just keeps on telling lies and fudges GDP numbers to show growth.
This new guys is a problem solver and just to make clear he is not socialist but a solutionist. No wonder with just 49 days of his rule people gave him abolute majority in Delhi Capital State 67/70. It means won 67 out of 70 seats contested which never happened till now in the history of India.
Just think he established the party just 2 years back and became CM - Resigned after 49 days due to minority gov. and again took total control taming Ruling BJP govt.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/adolf-hitler-frankenstein-stump...
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/adolf-hitler-frankenstein-stump...
Think I am gonna need a cheat sheet to remember all these names and poilitcal parties. Forget about pronouncing them. (Is that racist?)
And please don't let the good Icelanders do anything. If the do I will be going crannial anal inversion with synapse fire.
"Is that racist?"
Are you white? Then you're racist. Doesn't matter what you think or say.
It's why Brian Williams is held to a higher standard than Al Sharptoon even though they both work for the same company.
This guy Kejriwal had a completely socialist platform - free power, water and wireless service for the poor. The guy seems to have good intentions but like all socialist promises it all falls flat. Instead it will be nice if Modi and Jaitly come up with a super harsh budget at the Center that reverses all the subisdies started by the previous government. Those subisdies are killing India's budget mathematics.
Needless to say, 9 state run Indian banks just got a big cash infusion. Also, the GDP formula was changed to come up with a 7.4 percent gain instead of 4.4 according to the old method.
Yeah, I guessed that was what was going on when I saw the words "social justice" in the article describing him.
I'll stand by my comment about "Anti-corruption" parties. They're always anything but.
Kejriwal is already showing signs of being an illuminati puppet.
Anti corruption socialist? Ha!
This guys is different. Hs is not Socialist but his is Solutionist. This guy resiged from top most CM post for not passing Strong Anti-Corruption Bill. He came back with full majority after winning 67 out of 70 seats which never happened in India till now.
Kejriwal will have the same success dealing with corruption as Chavez didi Venzuela. The greatest success will be that the money wll all flow to him.
He crowd sourced the funding of his party and put every transation in Internet
http://aamaadmiparty.org/donation-list
Yes. Large problem: getting some of India off socialism back to markets.
However, it is a large large country. There is lots of poverty.
They have to boost investment even more, until socialist policies can be muted more.
He didnt give free power but reduced the power bill on a temporary basis upto 200 units till an CAG Audit is complete.
Free lifeline water 700 liters. If one exceed 700 liters usage need to pay entire usage which helps people use less water.
Free Wifi is provided for women protection - so that they can trigger alarm from phone which notifies nearest police. Moreover the plan is to use dual functioning CCTV cameras which act as Wifi providers too.
Got rid of corruption in just 49 days.
Got rid of Water Mafia in just 49 days.
This guys is the best thing happened to India
the irony is they'll have to pay him off to shut him up.
You cant buy Arvind Kejriwal. He is scrupulously honest. Everyone in India accepts to this.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/interviews/arvind-kejriwal-is-scrupulously-honest-stunningly-intelligent-brave-rajiv-bajaj/articleshow/46194528.cms?from=mdr
The results of the Delhi Legislative Assembly election, 2015 with the Aam Aadmi Party securing absolute majority winning 67 of the 70 seats came as a major shock to many of the BJP supporters. Many theories started floating about what might have gone wrong with some blaming it on BJP’s poor performance at the Centre while others claimed it was the Congress support that helped AAP win the elections. However, while the supporters were in a deep state of shock the party leaders looked cool and composed as if the defeat was anticipated in advanced.
To understand what really happened we will need to go back a couple of years in history. It all started with a tea with terrorist as the media termed it.
According to a report published in BodhitaNews in July last year Vivekananda International Foundation was already on the radar of Intelligence Bureau for anti-national activities since 2012. The Intelligence Bureau (IB) has been keeping tabs on one of its former directors, Ajit Doval, and Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), of which he is a director. Based on IB reports Doval and his team at VIF, which include prominent RSS ideologues, are the brain behind the anti-corruption movement in the country, especially the one led by Baba Ramdev. It was in April 2011 that VIF organised a seminar on corruption and black money. Soon after, Anna Hazare’s fast began and Ramdev announced his June 4 Ramlila Maidan protest. IB men have since been keeping a keen eye on VIF.
It is fool hardy to think that having such a control over the media and the kind of persona management strategies employed through western intelligence managed PR agencies; that AAP could still win over BJP and Congress with such a landslide. Unless ofcourse it is by design and not just a spontaneous organic reaction of people merely dissatisfied by the poor performance and extremism of the BJP government. The truth however is that AAP and the India Against Corruption campaigns before it’s birth were a brainchild of a small group of BJP think tank itself. The same group floated the theory that AAP was infact a Congress B team while all evidence pointed otherwise; to distance themselves from it and posed as enemies blowing hollow accusations at each other that do not stand the merit of a thorough investigation. While the public was hoodwinked and kept busy fighting among themselves at ridiculous issues of blame game and even name calling that became national news; the agenda that played all along was Modi as PM & Kejriwal as CM.
Isn’t it ironic that the meaning of Arvind in sanskrit is – Lotus.
The ‘Modi As PM Kejriwal As CM’ ProjectThis is propaganda... Its not true. Arvind Kejriwal is the initiator of India Against Corruption Movement. He got NDTV Indian of the year for 2011 award for the same along with Anna Hazare
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NDTV_Indian_of_the_Year
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arvind_Kejriwal
He is one of the best leader I have seen in India. A thought leader unlike PM Modi who just keeps on telling lies and fudges GDP numbers to show growth.
This new guys is a problem solver and just to make clear he is not socialist but a solutionist. No wonder with just 49 days of his rule people gave him abolute majority in Delhi Capital State 67/70. It means won 67 out of 70 seats contested which never happened till now in the history of India.
Just think he established the party just 2 years back and became CM - Resigned after 49 days due to minority gov. and again took total control taming Ruling BJP govt.
there is hope elsewhere in this world, but certainly not here. i hear there is a new sherrif in town, ha...
The reason is the Indian PM had too many photo calls with Western Dictators recently.
"I published an article titled, Meet Arvind Kejriwal: “India’s Julian Assange,” which focused on the crusade for social justice of a man I had never heard of."
Did he just say Social Justice? I hate that phrase. I equate it with statism.
It's Mike K. who said the term, not Kejriwal, though I stand with you on the nature of "anti-corruption" parties.
Social Justice was a term used by communist groups in the US back in the 70's When "communism" bit the dust with the collapse of the Soviet Empire, social justice was picked up by "progressives", who are just marxists using another term to lie to the public about who they are.
Solzhenitzen recognised the term right away and said, "there s no such thing as social justice, there is only justice."
A word with 'social' as a prefix -- social work, social studies, social justice, social science, etc., is a guaranteed Marxist ploy.
I much prefer anti-social justice.
I equate it with the teachings of Jesus.
we're living in the best of all possible worlds, because God does not create systems which are not self-improving ad infinitum.
The pendulum swings about issues that are at the centre of global western decadence : The irrepressible desire of Oligarchy to sodomise the people in "only we know the answers to the problems WE have created"...hubristic mantra.
Now that is called circular logic of awesome proportions.
Where has Tiger Wood's magic gone? He was the bulwark of Us sporting Exceptionalism. The icon of the billion $ "sport is too serious to leave to amateurs" oligarchy game.
So much for past heroes like Jesse Owens, sport is the cult of media hype and Corporate ass wipe.
And who runs it today ? The princes of Qatar.
A small step for Sport based on slave labour, a huge step for Oligarchy ! (They own the FIFA and Olympics).
A butterfly fluttering, a tsunami in the making.
i guess this implies that Obama's declaration of war against IS = shutdown of Qatar, Inc.
"The nascent global political awakening against corrupt politicians, large corporations and central banks is growing louder."
Maybe they can join with Greece, Spain and Italy.
One day maybe the sheeple in the USA will catch on, maybe not.
People in the USA need a ruthless tyrant. Someone that makes Stalin look like a pushover.
In the US people are preoccupied with the Kardasians and the degenerates in Hollywood.
"People in the USA need a ruthless tyrant. Someone that makes Stalin look like a pushover."
she's waiting in the wings, just have to see if she gets the crown or not
Gawd, she makes me think of the witch in that Oz movie.
The Bad one.
****
Indian AAP Party probed for corruption?
Right on time.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/defaultinterstitial_int.cms
Somehow I doubt you've read much if anything about Stalin. No one could make Stalin look like a pushover. No one
at least the voting worked. so the majority have a say on whom is going to promise the mostis. hail the new socialist, steal from everybody and give me my fair share, ha...
Perhaps when the average American is chipping paint to fill gunny sacks, and beating it into powder with sticks so thy can reconstitute it and sell it on the street corner for their daily bread we will wake the fuck up too.....
The comfort level is too high and food prices too low for any real change.
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/feed_the_world/2014/04/food_riots_and_revolution_grain_prices_predict_political_instability.html
The results of the Delhi Legislative Assembly election, 2015 with the Aam Aadmi Party securing absolute majority winning 67 of the 70 seats came as a major shock to many of the BJP supporters. Many theories started floating about what might have gone wrong with some blaming it on BJP’s poor performance at the Centre while others claimed it was the Congress support that helped AAP win the elections. However, while the supporters were in a deep state of shock the party leaders looked cool and composed as if the defeat was anticipated in advanced.
To understand what really happened we will need to go back a couple of years in history. It all started with a tea with terrorist as the media termed it.
According to a report published in BodhitaNews in July last year Vivekananda International Foundation was already on the radar of Intelligence Bureau for anti-national activities since 2012. The Intelligence Bureau (IB) has been keeping tabs on one of its former directors, Ajit Doval, and Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), of which he is a director. Based on IB reports Doval and his team at VIF, which include prominent RSS ideologues, are the brain behind the anti-corruption movement in the country, especially the one led by Baba Ramdev. It was in April 2011 that VIF organised a seminar on corruption and black money. Soon after, Anna Hazare’s fast began and Ramdev announced his June 4 Ramlila Maidan protest. IB men have since been keeping a keen eye on VIF.
It is fool hardy to think that having such a control over the media and the kind of persona management strategies employed through western intelligence managed PR agencies; that AAP could still win over BJP and Congress with such a landslide. Unless ofcourse it is by design and not just a spontaneous organic reaction of people merely dissatisfied by the poor performance and extremism of the BJP government. The truth however is that AAP and the India Against Corruption campaigns before it’s birth were a brainchild of a small group of BJP think tank itself. The same group floated the theory that AAP was infact a Congress B team while all evidence pointed otherwise; to distance themselves from it and posed as enemies blowing hollow accusations at each other that do not stand the merit of a thorough investigation. While the public was hoodwinked and kept busy fighting among themselves at ridiculous issues of blame game and even name calling that became national news; the agenda that played all along was Modi as PM & Kejriwal as CM.
Isn’t it ironic that the meaning of Arvind in sanskrit is – Lotus.
The ‘Modi As PM Kejriwal As CM’ ProjectROFL! Man, this show is gonna be great. Rat Smokers United Front!
They have as about as many political interests there as they have deities, hell some of them are even tied to deities and castes and regions and jobs and wait till this shit busts loose.
Cover your heart Indy, cover your heart!
I wonder if India, being fairly new to Western finance AND having a long history of seeing gold as wealth, might not be in a good position to make the comparisons we have obviously forgotten here in fiat-land. Indians who fell for fiat will see digital wealth disappear, and cash lose value. But their neighbor, who was old-fashioned, chose gold, and his wife still wears the family fortune, which is appreciating in value as the currencies die.
If India were to decide to use all their plentiful gold to re-establish a gold backed currency, it would make a lot of Indians very wealthy. Especially in the rural areas, where much of the people's wealth is in the form of gold. That's a lot of votes for someone who says he'll make it happen.
It would insure India's wealth in a global economy that seems headed for something very, very bad. Currencies are all headed into the toilet. A leader who saves vast swaths of his people from the loss would be very popular. But it takes a leader who really believes this ship is going down.
Vichy DC will be the Last Bastion of EVIL to FALL due to a HEAVILY subdued and penned in SHEEPLES.
The world is itching to kick some ass. A few more of these messiahs and we'll be all locked and loaded.
All I want to know is where is the guy with the shirt made of GOLD ?
I would vote for that son of a bitch, at least he knows how to store his wealth.
What's with Indian politicians and KrispyKreme hats?
I never have asked. Goes back to Nehru's time at least.
+1
Most anti-corruption movements in South America are backed by the Us ngo's such as the Human Rights Watch and Soros.
We know they are totally neutral.
Wolf in sheep's clothing.
Maybe Colorado is high enough that Mikey can see India from there, but to write authoritatively about the victory of a man he admits he had never heard of might be considered sophistry.
Kejriwal already won once, kicking out former Delhi Chief Sheila Dikshit, but walked away after a very short period in power (days?). Two things contributed to his second victory. The first is the endemic corruption in Delhi (even though PM Modi has lit some fires under a good many Babu's butts, lots of corruption remains). The second is that RSS elements of Modi's BJP have alienated lots of people with the RSS' virulent pro-Hindu philosophy. While the RSS claims to welcome semi-Hindus (defined by them as Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists and a few others, though notably NOT Moslems or Christians), it really doesn't. Modi hasn't been able to control the RSS members within his party, and that has alienated a lot of Delhi voters.
Since I'm here...while the prevailing opinion on this site is that India is leaning toward Russia, the reality is quite different. Modi wants to develop his country. He wants US tech, and he wants better access to US markets. He also wants to be certain India can meet any military challenges, such as from Pakistan and China. Upon taking office, one of Modi's first acts was to do demand a study of India's military readiness. The report he received told him his military was burdened by too many poor quality Russian weapons, and has great difficulty getting spare parts in a timely manner. Modi ordered his military to seek new systems from the EU and US, and from Israel. Obama's recent visit covered talks aimed at getting updated and dependable weapons system from the US. Also, note that one problem that had been in the way of better India-US relations was the Khobragade Affair. The then-sitting FM was getting in the way of any progress, so just before Pbama's visit, Modi canned her and appointed a new Foreign Minister. Immediately the new US Ambassador to India, whose approval had been held up for a lengthy period by the fired FM, was approved.
I was there before and after the elections. I wondered if the RSS might be too 'strident' for a lot of other Indians. Good comments.
I was stationed there in the early 90's, just as they were opening up to the outside world again. India is a fascinating place. However, it seems to me that the Indians somehow managed to adopt the worst aspects of whoever rolled through. Corruption isn't just a problem, it's cultural norm. They call it baksheesh, and it's usually just a burden for the natives, but it becomes oppressive as literally everybody is on the take. I've never since been anywhere as corrupt.
India received a giant black eye in the Sino-Indian war, that I doubt will happen again with India's increased Nationalism. It's the only glue that holds India together, because old rivalries and feuds just aren't forgotten there.
What applies to America applies to India. Modi, Congress, Kejriwal, all work for the Chosenites. Dont be fooled into thinking anyone has a choice in leadership.
Good luck to him! My wife is Indian. We just got back from delhi last November. My first time there. She is from there. I have no faith he can change how totally fucked that society is. Gang rapes of women are a daily occurance, pollution has to be at least as bad as china if not more so. It was horrendous when I was there. The people are some of the laziest fucks I have ever had the misery to deal with. NO ONE opens before 11. Banks, the malls, nobody. They dont want to work. I tried to have a guy break a larger bill for me and my wife at a local mall, and he holds up the rupee bill and says he doesnt think its real, I would have to go somewhere else. So I asked him for an ATM location and he says he doesnt know. When an ATM was a mere 100 feet away. Everyone from politicians, to taxi drivers are out for themselves and corrupt as fuck. Almost everything is state owned. No foreign competition is allowed inside. No building codes. Electrical wiring is strung like popcorn everywhere. It smells like sewage everywhere you go. You can't eat most of the food without getting sick. Forget about the water! Traffic is so thick and heavy if you need an ambulance or a cop, your dead dont bother calling they wont reach you in time. The whole place has been neglected since the Huns left. I shant be going back.
Good luck to you Kejriwal!
When it’s over, the Fourth Turning will be complete...
What is this Fourth Turning?
"...will eventually come to the U.S...." ummm it has. they are called The Tea Party, and also, they are called Libertarians.
the establishment has unfortunately somewhat successfully suppressed them to date. But the freedom lovers are alive, and well, and gaining traction, in the U.S.
there is still much reason for hope. and we must never give up hope.
So...
Now every crackpot leftist party that crawls out of the backwoods of bumblefuckstan is going to be represented as some kind of great awakening (to ideas that were discredited long before any of us were born?) just because they profess to be "anti-establishment"?
Read Ajit Vadakyil for all things India. One serious cool Hindoo.
Sorry for being such a cynic, but somehow I can't see mericans rising up for anything worth fighting for...