New Delhi: The AAP's promise to sweep away corruption from the Indian political system is a "difficult" goal to achieve, says American political scientist John Echeverri-Gent.
Fighting corruption needs stronger legislative tools, and just by forming a government in Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party was not likely to reduce corruption, he said.
Echeverri-Gent, associate professor at University of Virginia, presented his views about close association of the economy, business and the Indian political system during a session "The Economy, Business and India's 2014 Parliamentary Elections" on Monday.
"Everyone has this question - will the broom of AAP sweep corruption from this nation? In all likelihood, AAP, by forming a government, is not likely to reduce corruption," said the well known public policy professor to a discerning audience.
"They might do less than what we are hoping. It is because until AAP plays a big role in the (national) legislature, such goals are difficult to achieve," Echeverri-Gent added.
He was quick to clarify that his statement was based on his observations till now.
"AAP has surprised all of us by making a back-door entry and heading straight to the front row. But how it performs in the general elections is something to watch out for. Though, I personally feel they won't win more than 50 seats," he added.
Echeverri-Gent's expertise and understanding about India's fragmented politics comes from his well-researched books "The State and the Poor: Public Policy and Political Development in India and the United State", "Economic Reform in Three Giants: US Foreign Policy and the USSR, China, and India", which he co-edited.
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