During her primary contest with Barack Obama for the nomination of the Democratic Party, Hilary Clinton once remarked that one only needed to look at the two of them (a woman and an African American) to recognize that both represented change. One could say the same about India’s newest political party – the Aam Aadmi or Common Man Party, barely a year and half old, but being seen as a potentially transformational political force. Its members – unassuming middle class housewives, small time lawyers, IT professionals, college professors, journalists, and community organizers -- stand out in sharp contrast to the seasoned political operatives from established parties.
In fact, in an environment where opaque campaign financing, political lineage, and the politics of identity are accepted avenues to the corridors of governance, the Common Man Party has literally risen from the streets, taking on corruption at all levels, appealing to ethics and citizenship rather than caste or religious affiliation, and proving its independent credentials by making its funding (primarily small donations) transparent on its website.
But while its passionate stance against corruption has ignited hope in a country reeling under a barrage of high level corruption exposes, its conduct during its short stint in government in Delhi has also drawn flak as blurring the boundaries between governance and activism. AAP’s protagonists - a group of prominent anti-corruption activists - were among the primary authors of the country’s transparency reforms and social mobilization against corruption.
See full Press Release: http://blogs.worldbank.org/publicsphere/sustaining-accountability
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