Whatsapp Citizen’s forum taking lead in shaping political discourse in Andhra Pradesh
An experimental platform named Andhra Veera started by a group of people from across the state attempts to bring focus back on issue-based politics with the slogan “Arise, unite, lead”
Vijayawada: Even as we see politicians in Andhra Pradesh cutting across party lines and indulging in a war of words on a daily basis over electoral issues in the run up to the elections, a bunch of young, articulate citizens of Andhra Pradesh have decided to take control of the narrative and formed an experimental forum on Whatsapp.
The group buzzes with interesting conversations about unemployment, policy issues, and the state of infrastructure in the state 24×7. The group admins are very strict about what kind of language is used, and only constructive inputs are entertained. People raise issues from their constituencies, and share pictures.
Thereafter a discussion takes place and people use their networks to make the sourced pictures viral on social media so that it reaches the attention of politicians.
Explaining the need for such a forum Nadia P, one of the admins of the group says: “I was watching the news the other day and it struck me that what gets mainstream focus are simply daily political attacks by politicians. It is always about attacks and counter-attacks. We as political creatures remain satisfied with such tactics. My question is why do we waste so much time in mere theatrics?”
“This may be good TV. But as citizens, we cannot allow mere theatrics to take over our political discourse. We have to constantly work towards bringing the conversation to what really matters, people’s issues, irrespective of party affiliation”, he added.
“The rules of engagement in the group are very strict. Elaborating on the rationale of the rules, Anakapalli-based Arun, another admin said: “We are a truly bipartisan forum. We have members from all political backgrounds.”
“But the forum is apolitical. We do not entertain trolls. The very idea was to elevate the level of discourse.The moment people start using abusive language or attack a political leader on personal grounds we remove them. The conversation has to be strictly issue oriented.”
The group members say eventually their aim is to create district-wise chapters of Andhra-Veera, and release a white-paper on the top 10 issues selected by members. “We are a civil society initiative. But ultimately, change can only be brought by elected representatives. So, we would like to collaborate with young leaders who truly care about issues of the people”.
“We are very careful about who we associate with because we do not want to get involved in the run of the mill political games. Our focus is on solutions and policies not blame-game and mudslinging. And to our good fortune we have been able to reach out to such politicians who are aligned with our objective.”
These are still early days for Andhra Veera. But the enthusiasm of the people, and its organic growth shows that it has the potential to bloom into something big. Its growth also shows that there is an urge in the citizens of Andhra Pradesh to speak their heart out.
Soon, the group plans to hold its first offline meeting. “The venue and the themes are still being discussed. But whatever the decision is, it will be taken in a democratic way with everyone’s consent,” says Naveen Kumar, a member of the group.