The writer is a consulting editor with The Statesman and writes for several newspapers in India
Imran managed to cut through the general disillusionment and anger with the existing political system, promising a new government, free of corruption, responsive and sensitive to the people at large. He made many promises, many of them a little difficult to believe, but kept well within the box when it came to issues of terrorism, sectarianism, and the violence that has engulfed Pakistan on a daily basis. He managed to don new clothes, but as elections approached, the articles on him got more critical, with commentators wondering whether he actually had the answers that could then be the basis for a new Pakistan.
India, too, has witnessed the rather dramatic rise of a new party under the unassuming Arvind Kejriwal, with the Aam Aadmi Party cutting into the cynicism of Delhi, and forming the government in record time. The run-up to the crucial assembly elections was marked with similar scepticism and a campaign against Kejriwal and his team. But in this case, the people chose to desert the Congress and the BJP to support him. He is now preparing to contest 300 seats in the forthcoming parliamentary elections even as he consolidates his party’s government in Delhi.
One cannot be but struck by the similarities between the two, even though there are several differences as well. Kejriwal mounted an amazing strategy to earn nationwide recognition through the India Against Corruption movement, in which he stood just behind Gandhian Anna Hazare, waving the national flag and pledging to fight corruption. Imran also made corruption his foundation stone, and while he was already known because of his innings in cricket and subsequently politics, he ensured his campaign and manifesto for change got support and recognition as well. Secondly, both reached out to the people directly and had a special word for the youth. Both came through as crusaders, with levels of honesty and integrity clearly lacking in their colleagues from other political parties. And third, both have established a space for themselves in politics and are certainly forces to be reckoned with — at least for the moment.
Both appear intense and speak in direct tones. Both share a certain arrogance, more visible in Imran, but present in Kejriwal as well. Both have decided to keep equidistance from other major political parties, preferring to strike their own paths. Both rely a great deal on support from the youth. Imran came to power in a province while aspiring to lead in Islamabad; Kejriwal came to power in a state and is now aspiring to lead the Lok Sabha. Both have made tall promises, but to give credit where it is due, Kejriwal has started delivering on his seemingly impossible promises to reduce power tariffs and supply free water. And this is where the fundamental difference comes in: the Aam Aadmi Party leadership’s ability to strategise and move ahead one step at a time. Announcements are made after bricks are put in place.
Both rule difficult provinces, of course in different ways. One is confronted with the challenge of violence and terrorism; the other with retaining the goodwill of a hugely fickle middle class population. Both realise that the path to the centre lies through these provincial and state governments, with the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Delhi voters review having a direct impact on their respective march towards national politics. Imran still has some time, Kejriwal has none.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 4th, 2014.
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COMMENTS (32)
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But with huge differences . One is a highly educated , cultured and rules over educated mass . Another rules over tribal and uncultured people.
I.K has good intensions but that alone does not translate into good work in politics where there are competing interests. Does he have a good team? He has been around for a long time but we hardy hear of anyone else other than I.K. Does he have an economic agenda for the nation? Has he brought out a white paper on how to reduce corruption?
I do admire I.K for what he had done in terms of opening up a cancer hospital and a university in his village that is affiliated to Bradford university but to bring a sea change, one has to change the way politics in run both in India and Pakistan. Can one man do this?
In both countries,politics has become a playground for the powerful and rich. You need a lot of money and muscle power to successfully compete in politics in India. For the first time however, Kejriwal showed this can be changed. He fought the election in Delhi on the money raised from the public, money that was accounted for transparently. He is now saying he will not have any VIP security which is the bane of indian politics. These are welcome steps. It remains to be seen if he can change the way politics is run and perceived in India. At the least, he seems to have made a good beginning.
The author says "He made many promises, many of them a little difficult to believe, but kept well within the box when it came to issues of terrorism, sectarianism, and the violence that has engulfed Pakistan on a daily basis". Not sure i understand. Imran Khan has not succeeded in bring down terrorism or curbing corruption even in KP where his party rules. We will have to wait and see if he delivers. He makes fantastic promises (like "i can wipe out corruption in 3 months!") but does not back these promises with any concrete plan. Kejriwal and his team are thorough professionals who have a game plan. Kejriwal's speech after swearing in as CM of Delhi was an eyeopener. He had 17 point agenda that he laid out. Not all are achievable in shorttime and some may never be achieved but he is clear on what he wants to do. I hope Kejriwal concentrates on Delhi and shows his mettle there before he takes on the role of a national player. Otherwise, he will be neither here nor there.
Those who attended Imran's Lahore jalsa knows that there were garbage pickers to bmw owners. Youth & middle aged to elder citizens. 85% of his party tickets were given to people from middle and upper middle class only. He does not only represents the elite (burger) community. But the children of the elite were the ones who supported him the most. He called youth and specifically the elite youth out of their comfy homes to polling stations. He deserve more credit than this.
@Sankar Ray: (Imran Khan cannot be compared with Arvind Kejriwal, AAP is not at all a replication of PTI.)
Comparisons are not good though tempting & inevitable for columnists.. Kejriwal has an advantage that not many politicians can have: he doesn't have to carry burden of history on his back.He has begun with a clean slate. Nobody knows the future. All kinds of fellows will jump on AAP bandwagon & some day or the other he will face criticism for the sins of others but he must have factored in that occupational hazard as IK & PTI must have. I hold all such comparisons as contrived ones. However, if anybody has inspired or influenced somebody (or is similar) in a manner positive, such a harmless claim should be cause for rejoicing & not recrimination. After all, good counsel like: be honest, be transparent in dealings & be accountable, love all, work hard & leave results to God is something that everybody's Mother has taught. What is not Subcontinental or even Universal in that, be it about Khan or Kejriwal?
I dont think we can compare a newly appeared politician with the likes of great imran khan...who struggled for 17 years against the biggest mafia parties of pakistan..i dont think kejriwal would have stood for 17 years of constant failure...plus imran khan is the founder of only free cancer hospital in the world which everyone thought was not possible...he is the chancellor of bradford univ of UK...he is a graduate of oxford....he is the maker of only private sector univ in a village in pak...which gives 95 percent scholarships and gives degree of bradford univ in pak to poor bright students......and he has formed a corruption free govt in kpk province...also has dismissed 2 ministers on corruption charges which is a unique thing in pakistan...many imran khan haters hate him just because they hate him...thats why most pakistanis hate those who hate imran khan....:-)
@ G. Din: what is your point exactly? You seem to be a Modi supporter who is now scared stiff of the rug now being pulled from under his feet. Modi's ideas of Hindutva are now falling by the wayside in the wake of the Kejriwal onslaught. More power to him. And we hope his success will re-ivigorate the young people who united under Imran's banner but were cruelly cheated by selective fraud in the election processs. Why can't Imran Khan and Kejriwal be compared? Both have come on a platform of anti- corruption, an end to VIP culture (Imran spoke of this 15 years ago) and policies that benefit the common man ...like water and power. Where IK can learn from Kejriwal is not to set the bar too high, concentrate on modest goals and not delve into Foreign Affairs.
@wak: I do respect Imran as a cricketer and as a philanthropist, but these two qualities do not qualify him to get my political support. Politics and Political leadership is a different ball game and in my view its Imran's vision and policies which are not suitable for our future. A gentleman who lives a western life style, plays cricket, gets education in Oxford, keeps his family in West, pisses me off when he supports Taliban.
Whether a Muslim author is from India or Pakistan, look at his/her attempt to give Pakistan a free ride on the coattails of India. Especially Indian Muslims like this lady think they serve Hindu-Muslim brotherhood by painting such implausible caricatures. Hindus and Muslims can NEVER be brothers; in fact Muslims and any non-Muslims are antithetical to each other all over the world. Pakistan has to learn to stand on its own two legs instead of putting itself into the wake of India and stealing a free ride thereby. Such dishonest attempts by these authors don't serve either India or Pakistan well!
Imran Khan cannot be compared with Arvind Kejriwal, AAP is not at all a replication of PTI. PTI was setup in 1996 and it took 17 years to achieve spectacular electoral success. AAP was born in mid-June, 2013 and performed excellently in the election within less than 6 months. Imran was internationally famous unlike AK although the latter is a Magsaysay laureate.But Imran used to keep the most cruel dictator of Pakistan, Zia-ul Haq in good humour and was his favourite. AK had no such past. Imran has never been vociferous against the religious extremists. AK, although never openly critical of the rightwing Hindu nationalist BJP but after coming to power, AAP dropped the slogan Vande Mataram of Sangh Parivar.
@Ch. Allah Daad: i have never seen this person for praising imran khan. this is the payed person . i saw this person is the big criticiser of imran khan . it seems like someone pay to this man
The comparison is far-fetched.. The well-meaning IK seems to have gone got it wrong by defending the baddies and instead blaming America.. Kejriwal doesn't seem to have run amok so far, but who knows.. he may end up defending the Islamists (and instead blaming the Hindutvawadis), if bitten by our secularist bug....
I'm an aap supporter but I hope they don't follow the populist route and stick to their methods of providing good governance with no corruption. They better not go the route the communists followed and end up giving subsidies on everything and wasting tax money at the cost of development and to get a few more votes. Only time will tell but this movement has forced the other parties to change and that is crucial. The system must improve, only then will things get better. No one person has a magic wand to solve all problems. If it was that easy then things would have been fixed long time ago. Atleast one positive is that we know now that the average Indian voter is not as stupid as people thought and will not be fooled by the congress and other parties as in the past.
I hope Ik can change politics in Pakistan as well but I think the political climate as well as the understanding and experience of democracy in India and Pakistan is completely different so comparisons between leaders is rather stupid in my opinion.
New or old... matters very little, but one thing no one can deny is that Imran and Kajriwal both benefited from the same public sentiment, i.e. people's disappointment toward the existing seasoned politicians. Even if one talks to the political workers of existing parties there defense for their ruler is not that he is some one good rather it is that our leader is less corrupt then other leaders. this is were imran and kajriwal came in. both new faces calling for change and gaining public support. can both be successful or not? both have the same demerits. both are ralling public behind same kind of slogans. both do not have a clear ideological agenda (trying to please every one) but no clear intellectual agenda.
Imran and Kejriwal: new stars of the subcontinent, pathetic & flawed comparison. Imran Khan in the past 17 years couldnt not achieve what Kejriwal did in a super short span and the 'dramatic rise' and if 35 NA seats qualify as a dramatic rise that too was engineered after 'electables' were inducted into PTI. His first stint in the NA was completely lacklustre otherwise he would have developed some following from within the house. Ms Mustafa must have missed 1988 elections in Pakistan, she would know what dramatic rise really means
@asim:
On the other hand Kejriwal has achieved impossible dream...........:)
@Ch. Allah Daad: Well said
Wrong comparison. Kajriwal is a brilliant person, who knows the problems of a common man and has the guts to solve those problems. What Kajriwal did in his first day of power, Imran could not do it in six months.
One is clearly a TALIBAN supporter and other is a very secular to core.
Author conveniently ignored these facts just to make a point. Of course author has a very soft corner for Islamist known from her many articles and her views though she claims secular
Imran belongs to the burger class all his party memebers are elite class; correct your records please
Kejriwal is a remarkable person.He knows the basic gredience of democracy. Imran Khan will not learn and cannot endure trouble like an AAM ADMI. I think Indina author must visist Pakistan to know the true face of Pakistani politics.You cannot perceive everything thorugh media.
For those who lived among those times there was a new dawn in 1967, 1977, 1989, 1999. And then the country always returned back to the Congress.
Those thinking of IK as a mere cricketer must remember he is a leading philanthropist in Pakistan who has successfully established and run institute like Shaukat Khannum Cancer Hospital and Namal University, Kejrewal chose to ally himself with Congress for power in Delhi, the very party he was opposing for corruption all along. IK on the other hand didn't make an alliance with both the corrupt major parties of Pakistan i.e PML(N) and PPP, even though he didn't have enough seats to form a government on its own.
These articles seem very superficial. Admittedly my knowledge of Imran's party is superficial and through reading this paper. So would have loved some deeper insight. Isn't one of the biggest difference also about who are working in the party. In a democracy, it cann't be just about the head guy. Have you seen who Kejariwal has given tickets to? A lot of these people barring a few are not from political segments and were no known figures. The way Kejariwal has galvanised like minded honest individuals to join politics and not just clap from the sidelines is what is truly spectacular. This is purely because there is not an iota of uncleanliness in this man who lives modest means and has been a social activist who got into that line stepping aside lucrative career in front of him. He had no prior glamor package to give him a direct media platform, so its all earned in the sphere of social activism. In the era of filmstars and sportstars, this is what I find most hopeful. His and his party's populist appeal is not just for his stardom and speeches but his honest background, transparent politics and amazing ability to keep passing hurdles thrown at him by the entrenched political class
There's one more crucial difference -
Kejriwal - in his personal and professional life doesn't lay much emphasis on religion while Imran is center - right, infant more right than center.
While both of them need to prove themselves, chances of kejriwal succeeding is more as compared to IK
Dipak@Pradhan: Modi is a real star who knows how to govern and develop the country. He was falsely blamed for 2002 riots that were caused by mass killing of 59 Hindus returning from pilgrim. Don't blame Modi for that. It's Congress ploy to blame Modi. The most corrupt Congress is afraid to be wiped out for once and all, so blame it on Modi. The second independence of India is just around the corner.
AK is brand new. Has great ideas and is lucky to get an opportunity this fast to try them out.
IK has been around. To me, he doesn't come across as a very intelligent man (as compared to AK) and talks a bit too much without realizing the consequences.
However, if AK can deliver, IK and the Pakistanis will get an inspiration and hopefully, will do the same.
:) So, for you Imran khan is a new star ?? And you are comparing a cricket legend who formed his political party in 90's with someone about whom no body knew till 2011. What's wrong with you ???
At best if Imran Khan can be compared with anybody then its Mr. Narendra Modi. Both have radical views, extremism sympathizers, a robust presence in social media and have a political history.
There are two most important difference i.e. Jan Lokpal and swaraj Bill. He promise to create a system (already in public ) which minimizes to chances to do corruption. there should be more reliable system than reliable Faces.
Secondly and more importantly he offers public to rule with Swarj Bill.
This are the exciting Ideas and time will decide how effective AK and his party are.
Both are honest politicians. But Kejariwal is an IIT graduate Mechanical Engineer, who passed IAS, a great honor, who also worked as Income Tax officer where he had hands on experience with corruption busting. In that manner he is way superior to Imran. That is why his party won many seats in Delhi and became Chief minister of Delhi. Let us see how he performs in next six months to get a better evaluation.
Both are shooting stars...
Both stars and parties tht arose due to the corrupt politicians and mainstream corrupt parties in the two countries.