For all the integrity and upright moral posturing reports
indicated AAP spent Rs 526 crore for advertising its first year in power. Despite
its principled stance on austerity, AAP voted for 400% rise in perks for
legislators and cleverly avoided all media attention by passing the bill at the
height of odd-even scheme introduction. While citizens of Delhi were severely
inconvenienced by indefinite strike of municipal, sanitation and health workers
over non-payments of salaries, unconcerned Kejriwal just announced a measly
amount of money to corporations as loan. Now, with the prospect of 21
parliamentary secretaries facing disqualification becoming more imminent,
Kejriwal has become jittery. Deriding the suggestions of authoritative legal
opinion, he went ahead and appointed the secretaries and later passed bill
retrospectively to justify his position. Having effectively played a victim
card till now he is keen on seeking refuge in bashing the Central government. His
beguiling rants, open rebukes and uncivilized sarcasms are now reaching heights
of desperation. By openly detesting authority he is constantly challenging the
constitutional hierarchy. Kejriwal’s fanatic obsession of Modi making him
target of his diatribes, virulent and venomous harangues are now becoming
deplorable.
Indeed politics seems to a greatest equalizer. Kejriwal
condoned communalism, corruption, cronyism and paid media. Intriguingly for all the hard talk he is now
using these very elements to boost up his political prospects. Surprisingly the
church attacks which triggered religious divide before assembly elections
suddenly disappeared. Gopal Rai was forced to quit on the pretext of ill health
is facing allegations of transport scam. Thanks to inept opposition and
journalist wooing, sugar scam, onion scam and auto-rickshaw permit scam charges
that had roots in his first innings quickly faded off. Most recently, Kejriwal
made baseless allegations against BJP MP Mahesh Girri claiming that has links
with the killing of NDMC lawyer MM Khan. Though Delhi police gave clean chit to
the MP, Kejriwal demanded that he should resign with immediate effect and court
arrest. When Girri challenged Kejriwal for an open debate Kejriwal shirked.
Miffed MP staged an indefinite hunger strike before Kejriwal’s house. This
constant tirade of escalation of war words and “scoot and shoot” has become the
survival mantras of AAP. Similarly Kejriwal pertinently maintained that Modi
had never graduated nor even earned a Master’s degree despite BJP releasing all
the valid documents in a press meet. In short the party began drawing political
mileage from the cheap politics of levelling baseless allegations, making wild
U-turns and defaming political leaders.
Recent developments and duplicitous actions like sharing dais
with Lalu Prasad Yadav, extending unequivocal support to the anti-national
sloganeering, stoic silence during the National Herald court hearings against
Sonia Gandhi and stunning indifference to Augusta Westland allegations raise
curious doubts about the moral stance of Kejriwal. With more complaints of
offences against AAP legislators seeing light, AAP is becoming notoriously
famous as party of rabble rousers, delinquents and fraudsters. Blissfully
indifferent to constitutional semblance, augured by the Brexit, Kejriwal is now
pressing for a similar kind of arrangement for citizens of the Capital to
decide statehood for Delhi. Even before the discussions about any such
referendum could be discussed, AAP is back in the news with yet another
legislator, Dinesh Monhaiya booked for alleged misbehavior towards two elderly
women. The incident couldn’t have become more dramatic as the erring legislator
was arrested by Police in the middle of press meet. Enraged Kejriwal hit back
with all guns blazing tweeting that Prime Minister is bent on imposing
emergency. Interestingly, this instantaneous out lash coincided with the 41st
anniversary of imposition of emergency in India by Indira Gandhi. While both
events have no iota similarity, fervid Kejriwal smacked at Modi.
Meanwhile situation has turned murky with over 52 AAP MLA’s
headed by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia marched towards 7 RCR , official
residence of Prime Minister to protest the arrest. Despite the imposition of
Sec-144 legislators continued their protests leading to their detention by
police. More theatrics began to unfurl
as reports began to emerge that a complaint was lodged for intimidating
businessmen of Ghazipur Market Association against Manish Sisodia. Certain
media began reporting that following the complaint against Sisodia is now
leading the protest to surrender himself before Prime minister. AAP grooved in
default dharna mode sought refuge of agitations are upping ante against the
Centre. Amidst this escalation police clarified that since Sangam Vihar MLA
Mohaniya was evading investigation despite repeated requests. Hence he was
arrested for cognizable offence. Delhi government, visibly distraught with
Centre for returning 14 of bills, citing procedural lapse is now miffed. This
issue was excellently reviewed by S Sudhir Kumar on MyIndmakers Website earlier. With AAP getting increasingly drawn into aggressive protests all the
crucial governance issues are likely to suffer. Unwarranted outbursts, massive
theatrics, jingoistic comments unbecoming of a person of Chief Minister’s
stature are truly casting aspersions Kejriwal’s solemnity who enticed Urban
electorate with his agenda of politics of change. In a latest constitutionally
invalid move, Delhi Assembly issued summons to Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung and ACB
Chief MK Meena questioning their inaction on the five cases registered against
AAP in 2014. The series of infringement cases against the AAP legislators is
mindboggling- Naresh Yadav, AAP legislator from Mehrauli was booked for
allegedly burning Quran at Malerkotla, Punjab. Kejriwal, who had abused Modi
over CBI raids on the office of Rajendra Kumar his principal secretary is now
arrested by CBI for favoring a private firm Endeavour and awarding contracts
without tenders worth over 50 crores. From vociferously defending a bureaucrat
facing corruption charges to mangling reputation of Prime Minister, Kejriwal’s
defense of the accused knew no bounds. Now, Ashish Khetan, spokesperson of AAP
is under scanner for hurting religious sentiments of people. He equated party’s
youth manifesto for Punjab with Guru Granth Sahib and using the picture of
Golden temple on AAP manifesto with its party symbol broom embossed on it.
Though he apologized for his remarks, he might face jail sentence of three
years if found guilty. The systemic listlessness and desperation of Kejriwal is
in sharp contrast to his projected image of savior, raising serious doubts
about the commitment of this erstwhile social activist. A steady moral
decrepitude symptomatic of the ruthless politicians who were shuddered has now
crept into the fledging political outfit. People have voted the party into
power for its conscientious approach. By launching audacious verbal attacks and
playing victimhood for eternity to evade investigations AAP is losing sheen and
relevance among its apologists. While it cogently silenced cabal media through
lucrative benefactions, electorate with moral allegiance will decamp.
No individual had ever received as much media adulation and
unrelenting media coverage as Arvind Kejriwal in the contemporary Indian
political scenario. His name has become synonymous to a new generation of
political thinking and electoral reforms. For all the praise showered on the
political iconoclast for shaking the foundation of Indian political
gerontocracy, he truly turned out be an oxymoron.
While political parties are conditioned to play murkier
tricks to stay in the game of politics, advocating high morals and willfully
denigrating them for narrow political gains is unpardonable. The calamitous
fall of an idolized crusader of corruption from the apogee of reverence to
abyss of cheap politics is truly appalling.
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