In a first reality check of sorts, the All India Confederation of SC/ST Organizations (AICSO), an umbrella body of dalit outfits, has invited Kejriwal to participate in a rally being organized on December 16 at Janta r Mantar to demand reservation in private sector, banning of contract system in safai work, land to landless and other issues concerning dalits. The organization has also invited BJP leader Nitin Gadkari, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and CPM general secretary Prakash Karat among others.
Though AAP has found favour among a largely literate and governance-oriented electorate in Delhi and caused an upset rarely seen in the over 60-year-old history of independent India, his party's stand on some key issues of India's rural heartland, fractured by caste, religion and class structures and facing complicated economic issues, have as yet remained unclear. The only utterances from Kejriwal and other members of his party were that they stood for clean and corruption-free politics led by the common man.
Political parties have alread y started pushing Kejriwal to spell out his policy beliefs clearly. CPM has asked Kejriwal to make his stand clear on the country's various social, political and economic issues.
AICSO's national chairman Udit Raj said, "Kejriwal has been specially invited to participate in the rally to put across his stand on dalit issues including reservation."
The development is also significant in the light of various media interviews after AAP's victory in Delhi elections where Kejriwal said the Delhi campaign had taught him to become "more patient and inclusive".
Some of the issues being raised by AICSO, such as reservation for dalits in private sector, have the potential to put Kejriwal in a difficult position. Middle class, which has whole-heartedly supported AAP and voted for the party in large numbers, has the largest stake in private sector jobs and the reservation issue has always been a sore point for the class advocating 'meritocracy'.
Raj has also insis ted that AAP should form the government to fulfill aspirations of the people. "In 1989, Janata Dal under VP Singh had won 145 seats while Rajiv Gandhi had won 194 seats. As a newly-constituted party, majority of the public opinion was with Singh even though Gandhi had won more seats and Singh subsequently formed the government. AAP should form the government and fulfill the promises made to the people who have voted for him massively," he said.
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