AAP: The Rise and Fall

Watching Kejriwal at Raj Ghat with a swollen cheek and hurt pride paints a rather wretched picture, he was once to all of us the beacon of hope in Indian Politics. This is the man who promised to change the manner in which governments function and root out corruption. The same man now sits in protest against violence and insults perpetuated against him. Even sadder is if you look to social media or at the general reaction of people it is that or derision or ridicule. There is some support but that is perhaps just a drop in an ocean of disdain and contempt.

So did the AAP and Mr. Kejriwal experience such a precipitous fall? How did this figure of optimism turn into a symbol of scorn and mockery? Well here’s a brief history.
Kejriwal shot to fame for being part of the anti-corruption movement that stormed the nation. Some saw this movement to be synonymous to the freedom struggle where the nation united to evict a foreign power. But critics of this movement always maintained that the protesters were merely trouble makers and real change can only be brought about within the walls of a parliament. They had point, if everything was to be done at the behest of protests, the elected official becomes redundant or a mere puppet. A protest can be an important catalyst but nothing more than that, in fact allowing a protest to dictate to parliament is tantamount to mob rule. A bunch of people want something and the parliament follows. What if this bunch demands something morally questionable? Does parliament still follow?

Hence when Kejriwal and his partners formed the aptly titled Aam Aadmi Party which he proudly proclaimed was for the common man, by the common man and of the common man, it was a cause for celebration. It is indisputable that politics in India has been always the property of a certain group of people and seldom does a common man get an opportunity to be part of the process. Most of the mainstream parties have members from criminal background or with corruption charges or many other undesired attributes would find themselves unemployable in any government or even private organization but they function without any question in politics. Thus the AAP came across like a fresh breath of air. Kejriwal himself is an IIT man and many of the other members were ably qualified. A nation that had been frequently complaining about having to choose the lesser evil now felt that they had a viable choice. Any movement or party takes time to gain momentum, it was therefore when the AAP decided to contest for the Delhi Legislative Assembly, many assumed that the results would be far from stellar. The voting public has always been known to play it safe. But what followed baffled many expert psephologist. The AAP came in second position, but most importantly manages to dethrone the ruling party, most importantly Mr. Kejriwal managed to defeat his opponent the current sitting CM MS Sheila Dixit.  The public had spoken and the wind for change seemed to be moving in the direction of the AAP. What a monumental achievement it was from being a protest group, this newly formed political party had a chance to be the changes they and we so desperately wanted. Despite securing a majority the BJP did not have the magic number to form a government and hence decide to stay in the opposition. Miraculously, the very party that the AAP had opposed and promised to destroy, the Congress Party volunteered to support them. Many argued that it would be immoral for AAP to seek support from te Congress but the AAP conducted a plebiscite where it was deemed that the public approved of the unlikely marriage between the Congress and the AAP. They was commencement of AAP’s journey to power. There was joy and celebration by many in country, since never before did any party see such gains in such a short time.

It is interesting to note that the SMS plebiscite was not monitored by the election commission and was probably unnecessary since the public had already spoken via an elections, the plebiscite could also be construed as a subversion of the electoral process. But still, there was quite a lot of hope and that clearly triumphed these concerns that seemed rather petty considering what was to follow.
Among the many things that Kejriwal had promised were the end of the red bulb aka VIP culture, the members of this government also rejected security, government quarters and promised to travel with the common man by public transport and he promised to send the Delhi CM to jail for corruption. Unlike other parties, the AAP’s swearing in ceremony wasn’t done behind the corridors of power but before the very people who voted for him. He then went on to announce a number of measures such as a reduction in electricity bills and an audit of power distribution companies.  They also scrapped Foreign Direct Investment in multi-brand retail causing the business community to be unhappy. The AAP announced a Junta Durbar, a public forum where the public could address their grievance directly to the CM. There is also anti-graft helpline for the citizens. For many this was the first step in the direction of a momentous journey that would sweep Indian politics clean. A new dawn was across the horizon.

But in the days to follow things began to change, when asked about the promised punishment for the former Delhi CM Sheila Dixit, the new CM Kejriwal said if the evidence was provided to him he we will prosecute her a far cry from the emphatic proclamations to send Ms. Dixit to jail. Was this because he has sought support from the Congress party and it was impossible to cut they branch that they were seated on? This was probably the first blow to its admirers and supporters. But such was the enthusiasm that the people that was all but a minor hiccup. They assumed that the prime priority of the AAP govern and help the people.

Then there was the infamous Junta Durbar that was abandoned due to mismanagement. The people witnessed Kejriwal inability to manage the situation and until he was finally compelled to leave. This was a second blow, but again the people didn’t lose faith, they knew that every important measure takes time to implement, the counted on AAP to learn from the experience and trusted him to have a more efficient subsequent Junta Durbars.  But this optimism by the public was dealt with a brutal death blow when the Law Minister of AAP Mr Somnath Bharti was seen forcing his way into Khirke Area with television camera crews and allegedly force Ugandan women to provide Urine samples. The women claimed that they had been threatened and even molested by the mob led by Bharti. There were also allegations of racism. All of this bad behavior by Bharti as he shouted down a police constable was captured on camera and played ad infinitum by news channels. In another incident Bharti revealed the identity of the Danish rape victim which is illegal, so much for being the sitting law minister. The nation was taken aback to see a sitting minister conduct himself in such a fashion but this surprised was quadrupled when Kejriwal joined Bharti and his party members to stage a protest outside the Home Ministers office demanding that the policemen who refused to comply with Bharti’s request be sacked. The protest turned chaotic and violent and among other untoward occurrences we had the democratically elected Kejriwal proudly proclaim the he was an anarchist. This chaos affected the lives of many of common folks in Delhi as roads and transport had to be re-routed. How ironic it that the very man and party who had promised improve the lived to the common man had become a menace to them.

This was the time when many in the opposition alleged that Kejriwal had felt himself to be out of his depth when it came to governing and was finding easy way out but making petty excuses. Some also alleged that after reaping huge success at the Assembly elections he had ambitions of a national sort. Again Kejriwal promised that he had no such ambitions was only intended to do what was best for the folks in Delhi. Soon the end came Kejriwal citing that he couldn’t table the Jan Lokpal Bill, recommended the dissolution of the Assembly just within 49 days of being in power. This 49 period may have been some positives by they were largely overshadowed by the bad behavior and broken promises from the AAP.
In recent times Kejriwal has done a wide variety of things such as visiting Gujarat to disprove it’s development, he was seen in requesting a journalist to alter coverage to suit his agenda, he has threatened to muzzle the press and finally threatened to contest against Modi. The AAP despite claims to the contrary are contesting for Lok Sabha elections with 433 of its candidates contesting.

So the big question is should the public even consider Kejriwal and AAP anymore? Before we answer that lets take a hard look at the fact.
Kejriwal announced discounts in electricity bill and free water to a certain limit, on the surface a great idea but how does a man who proclaims to be an ardent supporter of democracy do something like this unilaterally without having to debate it in the Legislative Assembly. A real democracy functions best when there is a healthy debate about the pros and cons of any issue and who better to do it than elected representatives.  Then there was the Somnath Bharti problem,  Vinod Kumar Binny was expelled for ‘rebelling against the party’, but Somnath Bharti was allowed to continue despite unpardonable conduct and worst there were protests conducted in his support.  Any good leader should know how to deal with trouble maker be it within the party or beyond. By extending unconditional support to Bharti, Kejriwal appeared like one of the old school partisan politicians. Kejriwal did seek a plebiscite before getting forming the government but did nothing of a kind when he quit. There are those who also believe that he started out being a fervent opponent of the Congress but mysteriously shifted his focus toward the BJP and Modi with various members of the party threatening to contest in Varanasi. Then there is the relentless mudslinging on others which are often baseless without an iota of proof. On one occasion Kejriwal even threatened to ‘send media people to jail’. Do we see a pattern here?

Kejriwal and his party have always had an existential dilemma. Are they activists who function only as catalysts for issues such as anti-corruption and right to information or are they leaders who participate in the political process and work toward implementing the change they want? The recent Delhi situation has had Kejriwal trying to serve both these masters and in this attempt he seems to be floundering all over the place with ludicrous stunts, gratuitous rabble rousing, aimless protests that turn violent and total lack of long term goals.  They often complain that the media hounds them but our media is always ravenous for a juicy story and when you have a bunch or rabble rouser creating chaos can you blame them for not following the AAP. What the AAP needs discipline and focus.

Arvind Kejriwal may mean well, but good intentions only are not enough. The best way for any new political party or politician to make a good name is to stay out of the limelight, do some solid work on the state level and then allow record to speak for itself.  Contesting for Lok Sabha is but a natural progression and the people would have welcomed it. But the AAP and Kejriwal seemed to be in a great hurry the problem and that is a problem. The AAP seeking to be players at a national level is like a branch manager quitting his post in 49 days and seeking to be country head of an organization. What the AAP needs desperately is discipline and patience.

Back to the recent slap incident, Kejriwal seems to have met the perpetrator and has supposedly won him, but such is the skepticism about Kejriwal that some even presume it was a mere publicity stunt.

In a recent interview Kejriwal has also admitted that quitting from the government was a mistake and that he did is on principle. The slap was just a misguided, ill-thought way of expression of disappointment about AAP. Kejriwal’s swollen check will doubtlessly heal very soon but what will not heal is the feeling in the minds of many who felt let down. Will the voting public trust the AAP once again? Only time will tell.