Much need not be read into recent defections from AAP. Every political party goes through such churn

Indian Express

7 days ago

Written by Saumya Gupta
On May 17, as many as 13 MCD Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillors left the party to start a new organisation: Indraprastha Vikas Party (IVP). This political blow comes right in the wake of AAP's defeat in the Delhi assembly elections. This again raised a crucial question: Is AAP a post-ideological party?
Many scholars attribute its defeat and defection to the absence of ideology. However, one must go beyond such a limited understanding to unpack AAP's politics. My argument here rests primarily on three ideas that shape its politics. First, its commitment to Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP); second, the party stands for welfare, rooted not in the structural inequalities; and finally, the party attempts to be principally against any form of political violence.
The provision of DPSP in the Indian Constitution reflects socialist, Gandhian, and liberal ideals, guiding the vision of a just, welfare-oriented state. AAP's governance, as evidenced in its mohalla clinics, legal aid drives, public schooling, and free bus services for women, embodies these principles. Critics argue this focus on efficient public service lacks ideological depth. Yet, when viewed through the DPSP lens, AAP's model aligns with a form of 'actionable ideology' rooted in addressing material needs. Its politics of citizen-centric delivery gained popular support, though some feared it would become merely transactional. Its weakness lies not in the absence of ideology, but in the lack of a language that could articulate it. Drawing from Antoine Destutt de Tracy's notion of ideology as a 'science of ideas' tied to material conditions, AAP's actions can be seen as ideological.
Since coming to power in Delhi, AAP has focused exceedingly on economics and public finance. However, a lack of a deeper understanding of structural inequalities in India, predominantly caste, has been a consistent lack in its politics. Arvind Kejriwal's emphasis on state efficiency was a recalibration of politics, implying that administrative push is enough to fight inequality, without resorting to caste politics or social engineering.
AAP achieved 'national party' status in the shortest time. Notably, it is also one of the very few national parties without any history of political violence. It breached the conventional political space of identity-based, caste/class-based or regional rhetoric-based politics and found a new space to redefine conventional understandings.
Scholars like Sacha Kapoor and Arvind Magesan have stated that if there is a regional party rule, the chance of political violence increases. This argument, however, doesn't hold for AAP, which started its journey through satyagraha and has remained aligned with Gandhian philosophy, at least on the question of violence.
Kejriwal's rise reshaped opposition politics in India, pushing traditional left-of-centre parties to reassess their approaches in light of AAP's tangible public service delivery. While critics accused him of 'soft Hindutva', his appeal lies in effective governance and bold political manoeuvres. His instincts for timely political action have made his political performance different from that of other political parties.
Defeats and defections are part of the political game. So, discarding it as a non-ideological party amounts to a misreading of its political trajectory.
The writer is a political consultant who was earlier with Centre for Legislative Research and Education, FLAME University