Kejriwal may be closer to the left than you thought

Nazim Khan

Moneycontrol.com

The UPA rule has copped a lot of bad press, mostly not undeservedly, for letting its mammoth welfare schemes run up deficits to the point where the country’s credit rating was threatened to be cut to “junk” status.

The latest entrant to the left-of-centre club is Arvind Kejriwal, who -- in a mind-boggling turn of events that threatens to redefine Indian politics -- has gone from being an anti-graft crusader to Delhi chief minister in a span of a few years.

Kejriwal has not just been in the news for the way his Aam Aadmi Party has caught Delhi’s, and to a great extent, the nation’s fancy or the grounded manner in which he is looking to start his innings as the city-state’s chief minister.

Several experts have come out against Kejriwal’s most-popular poll promises: 700 litres of free water to every home and a 50 percent cut in electricity bills.

Politicians, economists and analysts have derided the idea as “populist”, “socialist” and “lacking fiscal sense”.

A recent Economic Times analysis did show that at least one of AAP’s two key promises -- of slashing electricity bills -- was rooted more in the idea that costs could be cut by rooting out corruption at the state electricity board and the discom level, rather than as a mere dole-out.

But that said, Kejriwal’s economic policies, or even his idea of the state-subject relationship, do bear a stark socialistic stamp.

A former bureaucrat Sanjeev Sabhlok, classic liberal in his thinking, has on his blog put together a list of points outlining the same. Here are some:

- Kejriwal is in favour of fuel-price control.

- Kejriwal’s vision document at the time of the launch of his party listed several points that could be termed as socialist: for instance, people would decide price of essential commodities, farmers would be given a good price for their produce.

- Kejriwal is opposed to FDI in retail.

- In an interview with CNN-IBN, when asked about AAP’s economic policies, Yogendra Yadav had this to say: How can we not be wedded to the idea of economic equality? What is so 1960s about it?

- Kejriwal’s advisor Prashant Bhushan has gone on record saying he prefers a “socialist-type” economic policy.

- When he was once asked about his ideological inclinations by Outlook, Kejriwal answered: “Our core team consists of 25 people and most of them are left-centre.”