RWAs, the new army against govt

PEOPLE POWER: Colonel Singh is fighting a battle to ensure that the residents of Gurgaon get their due.

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The Justice for Jessica campaign, the battle for a long overdue judgement in the Priyadarshani Mattoo case,a strong Right To Information campaign, CNN-IBN's citizen journalists - India's middle class has amply proved over the past year that it is up and running for causes that matter.

Be it running around for radical reform, lighting candles for justice or garnering support for a long-term change, the great Indian middle class has been there and done it to all. CNN-IBN celebrates the spirit of the middle-class activism in a special series - The Rise Of The Radical Middle.

New Delhi: He has been an Army man and now Colonel Ratan Singh is a soldier of a different kind – fighting a battle to ensure that his fellow residents in Gurgaon get their due.

Disillusioned with the empty promises political parties were making, the resident welfare associations (RWAs) of Gurgaon formed their own political party and fielded colonel saab as Singh is called in the Haryana Assembly Elections in 2005.

RWAs, a tool of empowerment

Singh didn't win but the party that was just 11 days old then did get 50 per cent of the votes cast in New Gurgaon.

Today, the Gurgaon Residents Party formed by the RWAs with Singh at the helm is doing what political parties for years haven't – dealing with their issues on their own.

"The middle class, the rich people, the business people realised they were not getting what they wanted. So, like a soldier I told them lets get involved. Unless you're involved in the Government you are not taken seriously,” Singh says.

There was a time when RWAs were needed only to fix a light bulb in the colony or make sure water supply was restored but today they have taken on a different identity. And the birth of the new RWA in Delhi took place in 2005 when a group of old men in west Delhi said that they will not pay the 10 per cent hike in electricity charges.

When the Delhi government announced a 10 per cent hike in electricity charges, the middle class in Delhi grumbled under their breath, but 76-year-old RL Dua and 56-year-old AK Gera from Delhi’s Rajinder Nagar RWA did what few would even dream of – take on the government.

From hunger strikes to leading processions against the electricity hike they were joined by dozens of RWAs across Delhi. The voice was so loud that two months later, the government was forced to roll back the tariff hike.

“If you put water on a boil it can only boil to a certain amount. Then it will overflow and that is what happened with us. We couldn't take it any more. I came from Pakistan to India when I was 10 in search of a better life. I will make sure I get that better life for myself here,” says Dua.

However, many feel that this kind of activism thwarts development.

“These people cannot become a pressure group. Even when there are legitimate reasons then one will not be able to help,” says Rajiv Kumar from ICIER.

The electricity campaign, the anti-sealing drive and issues concerning security have been raised time and again by the RWAs. While critics say their goals are often narrow for the RWAs - it has been a tool of empowerment.