Ashis Nandy is one of India's most original minds. In an interview with Anjali Puri, the political psychologist and social theorist offers his distinctive interpretation of the Delhi elections, which saw the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) trouncing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), whose campaign was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself. Edited excerpts:
How do you read the Delhi election result? Was it Delhi-centric, or was there a larger message?
No, it was not Delhi-centric. It followed a general rule of Indian politics, of huge mandates being followed by quick disillusionment. Presidential style elections, centred around a charismatic figure, with a media-intensive style of campaigning, like the one Narendra Modi won last year, deliver enormous power. But disappointment comes easily because there is no system of political representation to mediate between the people and the rulers. It is the top leader who brings in the votes. His people at the lower levels don't matter. The state begins to seem like a monolithic power. That kind of power can only be broken by a group - in this case, AAP - that is willing to play by the norms of the system, but always keeps one foot outside the system.
How important was Arvind Kejriwal's apology for resigning as Delhi chief minister last year?
I very much doubt his resignation was resented among the lowest strata of society. It was seen as a courageous act. Middle class voters probably liked his apology because they think in terms of conventional political norms. But contrary to what the middle classes believe, Kejriwal has been successful not because he conforms to their concept of proper politics, but also because he defies it. That is his strength.
One of the other features of such rebellions is that it makes rebels in middle class homes. You might be a solid Congress supporter, but your children will go for AAP. There was a youth surge in their favour. Look at their jingles, their lilting compositions, their flash mobs. You think the Congress's geriatric politicians, or the BJP, can do that?
You yourself have said Modi is an astute politician. Why is he looking jaded after eight months?
He has entered high society. The pin-striped, monogrammed suit he wore during US President Barack Obama's visit is a good indicator. He loves the company of NRIs, and I can well imagine the Patels of London thinking they should gift him something like this.
Do you think the electorate was annoyed by the suit?
First of all, you are wearing a suit. Then you are supposed to be close to the Ambanis and the Adanis. On the whole, he now conveys the image of belonging to the upper strata of society. This is going to be a real problem in India, in the future.. The kind of development we have chosen has made consumption respectable. The traditional norm always was, the rich wore good clothes but the ultra-elite wore khadi. That was the Gujarati style too.
Kejriwal has also won a huge mandate. Are there dangers ahead for him?
Yes. He has won his victory the way people get victories these days, through a media intensive campaign that sells a person rather than a party. That is one danger. He knows that. The other danger is that the more people applaud his sanity and his promise not to sit on dharna, or resign, the more he is being broken into the mainstream system. Part of the attraction of Mahatma Gandhi, or later, Jayaprakash Narayan, was that they were outsiders. When you come in as an outsider and then try to become an insider, you sacrifice your appeal right there. The Mufflerman should remain like Spiderman, an outsider. I am not saying he should be a complete outsider because that is suicidal. But he should have one foot outside.
What do you see as the future for AAP?
Even if disillusionment sets in with AAP and people eventually go back to the Congress and the BJP, Kejriwal's place in history is assured. The Janata Party defeating Indira Gandhi in an open election (in 1977) was a liberating act in itself. By the time Kejriwal goes, Modi will be cut down to size. In fact, he has already been cut down to size. That monolithic power is showing cracks already. If Kejirwal goes, he will also probably pull down Modi with him.
Can Kejriwal become bigger?
He has done a job for life, no matter what else he does. He is not a great man or great leader. He might turn out to be one, but I don't see much sign of that yet. He is a very hard working, witty, sharp, intelligent and astute man. He is a half-politician. And he should remain one. That will give him a longer tenure.
Did Modi forget that 69 per cent of the electorate did not vote for the BJP in the general election?
You forget it once you are in power because of the size of the majority. The Westminster model is designed to guarantee stability, so it exaggerates small margins of victory into apparently larger democratic mandates. Now, Kejriwal has got 54 per cent in Delhi, but 46 per cent didn't vote for him. Think of that.
Is it the end of the road for the Congress?
No, it is still the default party. When you get fed up with other parties, when you have doubts whether a new party will last, you think of going to the Congress. There are families that have been Congress supporters for five generations in many states. Tamil Nadu is a good example of the Congress as the default party. It has not been in power for a very long time, but it still has numerous supporters in the state. That is very difficult to snuff out.
Is there any significance to the Bahujan Samaj Party being wiped out in this Delhi election?
No, this is a wave and waves cut across parties. Wave elections are mostly against something. Only a small section of the people voted because of incentives offered by Kejriwal. Therefore, expecting him to fail because he won't be able to meet promises on bijli, paani and sadak is misunderstanding the situation. In any case, those complaining that he will empty the budget to provide basic amenities to jhuggi jhopdi colonies are flouting the first cannons of government responsibility. You have to do it and it is not so hard. How can you have pockets without running water in a modern city?
But the larger point is, only a small section voted for incentives. Muslims were determined to vote for a party that would defeat the BJP. Many old Congress families were determined to vote for the most likely winner. And the rest found Modi quite hollow and a demagogue. They felt that he was becoming too powerful and wanted to teach him a lesson.
You've famously psycho-analysed Modi. Can he learn from this election?
He is a good learner. He is a very sharp fellow. But I don't know whether one should depend on that entirely. I would prefer other checks and I welcome this landslide victory for AAP. Nothing could have made the message any more clearer to him. India is the world's largest psephocracy. It is only secondarily the world's largest democracy.
How do you define a psephocracy?
A country ruled by people who are only running from one election to another and only learn from electoral defeats.
