 "The mason who inaugurated a footover bridge for AAP govt")
The Aam Aadmi Party, or AAP, currently caught in an internecine battle of claims and counter-claims, has always projected itself as a saviour of the common man.
To buttress this image, the party has occasionally brought the “aam aadmi” to the fore at public events. The recent inauguration of a foot overbridge in Delhi was one example, when a mason did the honours, in the presence of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
It seemed like a big event for the mason, Shivam, since an opportunity like this would have been unthinkable in the normal course of events, so I decide to track him down to know his thoughts. But the task turns out to be easier said than done.
The few people I find at the foot overbridge are not aware of Shivam, though they knew a mason has inaugurated it. After approaching two lift operators and being passed on from one contractor to another, I am finally led to an elated Shivam, who says he feels privileged.
“It was a big occasion for me as I inaugurated the bridge in the presence of the deputy chief minister,” says the 30-year-old native of Khagaria in Bihar. Shivam came to Delhi a decade ago for work and now lives in East Vinod Nagar in Delhi. The Rs 600 he earns every day is not enough as he has a family to provide for, he says.
The million-dollar question is whether these initiatives actually helped the common man or are they mere tokenisms? When I ask him if he felt the the inauguration would change anything, Shivam’s reply is poignant:“I don’t know exactly. I work on a daily basis. Only a miracle can bring changes in my life.” But he adds that he feels close to AAP.
I decide to pose the same question to the rickshaw puller Arvind Kejriwal had invited to inaugurate a hospital wing in his previous term as chief minister, the last time AAP had picked a layman as the chief guest for a special occasion.
To buttress this image, the party has occasionally brought the “aam aadmi” to the fore at public events. The recent inauguration of a foot overbridge in Delhi was one example, when a mason did the honours, in the presence of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
It seemed like a big event for the mason, Shivam, since an opportunity like this would have been unthinkable in the normal course of events, so I decide to track him down to know his thoughts. But the task turns out to be easier said than done.
The few people I find at the foot overbridge are not aware of Shivam, though they knew a mason has inaugurated it. After approaching two lift operators and being passed on from one contractor to another, I am finally led to an elated Shivam, who says he feels privileged.
“It was a big occasion for me as I inaugurated the bridge in the presence of the deputy chief minister,” says the 30-year-old native of Khagaria in Bihar. Shivam came to Delhi a decade ago for work and now lives in East Vinod Nagar in Delhi. The Rs 600 he earns every day is not enough as he has a family to provide for, he says.
The million-dollar question is whether these initiatives actually helped the common man or are they mere tokenisms? When I ask him if he felt the the inauguration would change anything, Shivam’s reply is poignant:“I don’t know exactly. I work on a daily basis. Only a miracle can bring changes in my life.” But he adds that he feels close to AAP.
I decide to pose the same question to the rickshaw puller Arvind Kejriwal had invited to inaugurate a hospital wing in his previous term as chief minister, the last time AAP had picked a layman as the chief guest for a special occasion.
I find the former guest of honour, Vijay Baba, living in a makeshift tent in the Connaught Place area, with his son.
The tent is neither hygienic nor big enough to accommodate more than one person. Since Baba is not at home, I call the mobile number painted on the back of his rickshaw. He asks me to meet him at Lady Hardinge Hospital where he is helping a woman with her treatment.
There, I find a man in his early 60s, in torn clothes. “I am still where I used to be, a year ago. I was living in a tent then and that story has not changed,” he says after a pause, when I ask him what has changed since he had momentarily become a “khaas” (special) aadmi.
Baba, a native of Patna, has been living in Delhi for the last 50 years. “It was like a dream when Kejriwal invited me to inaugurate the hospital. But in the process, I saw a dream I should not have seen. Initially, I would be welcomed warmly and Kejriwal was like a friend but those days are gone. Forget him, I am treated like a stranger even at the Delhi Secretariat.”
However, Baba does not hold Kejriwal completely responsible for the turn of events and ascribes the blame to the “bad company” the two-time chief minister ended up with. He feels there are a few people who deny him access to the chief minister.
“During the Delhi elections, I campaigned tooth and nail for AAP but it looks like my efforts were in vain. I have become a stranger for them,” he says. Baba adds that he requested Kejriwal and the party for a home but his request fell on deaf ears. “If the situation does not change, I will be forced to snap ties with the party and work independently for the welfare of the poor,” he says.
The tent is neither hygienic nor big enough to accommodate more than one person. Since Baba is not at home, I call the mobile number painted on the back of his rickshaw. He asks me to meet him at Lady Hardinge Hospital where he is helping a woman with her treatment.
There, I find a man in his early 60s, in torn clothes. “I am still where I used to be, a year ago. I was living in a tent then and that story has not changed,” he says after a pause, when I ask him what has changed since he had momentarily become a “khaas” (special) aadmi.
Baba, a native of Patna, has been living in Delhi for the last 50 years. “It was like a dream when Kejriwal invited me to inaugurate the hospital. But in the process, I saw a dream I should not have seen. Initially, I would be welcomed warmly and Kejriwal was like a friend but those days are gone. Forget him, I am treated like a stranger even at the Delhi Secretariat.”
However, Baba does not hold Kejriwal completely responsible for the turn of events and ascribes the blame to the “bad company” the two-time chief minister ended up with. He feels there are a few people who deny him access to the chief minister.
“During the Delhi elections, I campaigned tooth and nail for AAP but it looks like my efforts were in vain. I have become a stranger for them,” he says. Baba adds that he requested Kejriwal and the party for a home but his request fell on deaf ears. “If the situation does not change, I will be forced to snap ties with the party and work independently for the welfare of the poor,” he says.