It was 10 pm. Stepping out of his white Maruti 800, the first thing Manoj Kumar asked for was a phone charger. After some running around, a young AAP volunteer manages to find one. “His phone batteries keep dying because his phone rings non-stop,” says the volunteer.
Minutes later, a man walks into the party office at Mayur Vihar Phase III in east Delhi. “You must form the government,” he says. “We have put our trust in you and if you don’t (form the government), that trust will be broken.” A visibly tired Kumar breaks into a smile. He assures the man that the people of Delhi will decide whether AAP should form the government or not.
“This is how a democracy should work,” says Kumar. “At present, our only role as citizens is to vote and pay taxes, nothing else. The political class decides everything else without taking the citizens into confidence. Everyone pays taxes. So, everyone should have a say in how it is spent. That is the change we will bring in; politicians will be a tool in the hands of the people.”
From stopping to help an accident victim and rushing him to hospital in a commandeered ambulance to walking into an angry mob to rescue the local SHO from the wrath of their sticks, the former property dealer can be best described as a good Samaritan.
“I like to help people, I feel it is my duty,” says the 35-year-old. “But as an individual, I can only do so much. I joined AAP because I identified with their politics and I accepted the challenge thrown by the Congress — ‘If you want to pass the Lokpal Bill, form a party and fight elections.’ Together, we can be much more effective and bring real change to society.”
- Avalok Langer
