Yogendra Yadav

Top10 Reasons Why Yogendra Yadav should be in PAC of AAP

1. Vanishing power

Political power is slippery, it comes and goes with elections. What is more important is building the party; this is truer in the case of an infant party like AAP that is still to take roots and garner a life of its own. Let us not forget that it is a party born out of a social experiment and the party itself is the result of an experiment. Imagine what would have happened if it had not won the election in Delhi? Or what will happen, if the AAP government falls or fails to return to power in the next assembly election in Delhi. Will the party survive such an outcome, the way BJP or Congress have survived following the rout in Delhi?

2. Face of AAP

Yogendra Yadav has undoubtedly risen from a second rung leader to the first rung. One of the closet example of Arvind-Yogendra Yadav partnership can be found in the Modi-Amit Shah of BJP. One person runs the government; while the other person runs the party. They gel together seamlessly and work together for the victory and the spread of the party pan-India. While Congress has no such deadly combination at the helm; Yogendra Yadav’s rise has given AAP the opportunity to have their own Modi-Amit at the helm that can steer the party.

3. Mentor, Challenger and Rising Leader?

Will the real Yogendra Yadav please stand up? Yogendra Yadav is a critic, who speaks his mind. But doesn’t Kejriwal need critics and not a courtie around him? Yogendra Yadav is a challenger, to status quo and the hubris that can destroy the party. He is also a rising leader, who is second only to Arvind Kejriwal in his popularity. Together they make a winning combination and separately they are a recipe for disaster.

4. Social Media Star

Yogendra Yadav has an instant connect with people; perhaps second only to Arvind Kejriwal. But then the chief minister of Delhi can only do as much; occupied with official work and the constitutional post. The millions of followers of Yogendra Yadav on the social media become crucial for a party that has changed the political discourse by massive use of internet and social media. Yogendra Yadav followers are not blind, emotional followers, but people of knowledge and education, who are convinced by his integrity and arguments. They form a solid core of the party that AAP’s bosses cannot ignore.

5. Pragmatic thinker

Yogendra Yadav is a thoroughly pragmatic person. Unlike the many left-leaning intellectuals and day dreamers, who are all vision and little practicality. He has experience of working at the grassroots and has seen many a people’s movements falter and fail because of lack of skills on part of its leaders. Yogendra Yadav’s political guru was Kishan Patnaik, a Lohia socialist who founded Samata Sangathan. Yogendra Yadav has commented many times, how social movements fail to turn into votes and win election and eventually fail. The art of turning people support in election victory is the art that Yogendra Yadav has mastered as seen in the Delhi victory.

6. Appeal across the communal divide

Yogendra Yadav is the second leader of AAP with an appeal across the communal divide. You must have heard that his birth name was Salim. Bud how did Salim became Yogendra Yadav or vice-versa? Not many people know that Yogendra Yadav’s grandfather was killed in the communal riots. And to make him a symbol of communal harmony, he was given a Muslim name of ‘Salim’ on his birth. But the bullying of the children at the school, which is a sad commentary on communal relations, forced his name to be changed to Yogendra Yadav. But despite that, Yogendra Yadav has a big following in the Muslim community, second only to Arvind Kejriwal.

7. Need for Unity

The age old story of ‘united we stand and divided we fall’ still holds true. The mud-slanging match going on in AAP can only hurt the party and its prospects. Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan are not the enemy, the real enemy is outside waiting for AAP to squander the historic chance it has got in Delhi. The infighting and lack of unity can ruin AAP, something that defeat and all its enemies failed to do. Subramanian Swamy once remarked with wit that he is more dangerous outside the government than inside. Similarly, Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan and their supporters are more damaging for Arvind outside the PAC and AAP then inside it.

8. Expansion of AAP

This is make or break time for AAP. If the party stays put in Delhi, it will end up as a regional party. The last thing AAP wants to become is Telegu Desham, Trinamool Congress or AAIDMK of Delhi. For one thing, its agenda is pan-India and AAP has captured imagination of India’s poor and middle class like no other party in recent time. And without frontline leaders like Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan supporting Arvind Kejriwal, the nationwide expansion cannot be achieved.

9. Master strategist

Arvind Kejriwal, the showman, along with his right hand man, Manish Sisodia hog all the limelight. Kejriwal is public face of the party, but was AAP victory achievable without the master strategist Yogendra Yadav? The modern Chanakya is known for his research and analysis capabilities and played a crucial, if not publicized role in the victory of AAP in Delhi. For those disagree and think that Kejriwal charisma alone can win election, the example of Varanasi is enough to point out the limit of the kejri-magic, minus the strategy of Yogendra Yadav?

10. Author & Academic

You may only vaguely know that Yogendra Yadav has an academic background. He is in fact an accomplished author and academic par excellence. His books like State of Democracy in South Asia (2008) and Electoral Politics in Indian States (2009), show not his deep academic roots but also his understanding of real grass root politics. In a world of jokers, clowns, criminals and muscle man he stands out as a polite, articulate and cultivated person. His academic credentials and performance in UGC also show that he is no push-over and knows how to speak his mind. You may not know but Yogendra Yadav was a significant contributor to the right to education initiative taken up by the Manmohan Singh government as member of the National Advisory Council.

CONCLUSION

Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan bring vast experience, commitment and integrity to the PAC. They can criticize and correct Arvind in the PAC and other forums, unlike other leaders, who are working as his agents. If they are inducted back into the PAC, the AAP can end us as the clone of Congress, where high-command (Sonia/Rahul) make all the decisions and use PAC as a rubber stamp. Sharing is caring; do share this post with those who you think will find it interesting. As always, we will love to read your reactions.