The Rise and Fall of AAP

Watching Kejriwal being escorted to prison after a Delhi court extended his judicial custody, paint a rather sorry picture. His body language is that of a defeated man who probably has lost a sense of purpose. His support has dwindled considerably and his party suffered a humiliating defeat in the LS election. This has been a precipitous fall for Kejriwal who was once regarded by all as the great beacon of hope. He was the man who promised to change the manner in which governments function. He had promised to root out all those who were corrupt and to clean up the system. 

He had promised to end the VIP culture and have the leader live the life of a common man. Now this very man is on his way to jail, for refusal to sign a bail bond. Adding insult to injury is derision from the general public, who clearly have given up on the AAP and even the media, who seem to have given up on the movement and casually throw terms such as the ‘travelling circus’ or the ‘drama’ while referring to the shenanigans of the AAP and their leaders. It would be wrong to say that there is no support, there certainly are those are staunch believers but no movement or party can survive when the support is drowned in an ocean of disdain and derision. Their astounding victory in the Delhi elections was just months ago but the rather unfortunate  turn of events during that tenure and what followed that make Delhi seem like a dream or a different era.

So how did this figure of optimism and hope turn into a symbol of scorn and mockery?  How did the AAP and Kejriwal experience such an instant fall? What did they do right and where did they go disastrously wrong?

For this we travel back to 2011, the country was in deep disarray, there was constant barrage of scams such as 2G Scam, the Coal block allocation, the CWG scam, the chopper scam, the citizens witnessed the leaders they had voted for, misappropriate of millions of rupees that were meant for their welfare. Any country owes an unpayable debt to its soldiers, who have chosen to dedicate their life for the safety of the nation. But the Adarsh colony scam saw politicians and bureaucrats conspire to circumvent laws to acquire flats meant for the war widows and personnel of the ministry of defense. The cumulative effect of all these scams was wide spread frustration and anger, but despite all the government did very little, almost scoffing at the public as they swindled them.

The chaos had reached critical mass, and the people were desperately looking to channelize their resentment. At that very time Anna Hazare and his team of anti-corruption activists managed to capture the collective conscience of the nation. ‘Team Anna’ as they called themselves, managed to muster a force of a diverse group of people who led protests against the rampant corruption in government. The timing wad perfect and the movement rapidly gained traction and soon it galvanized entire the nation.  There were widespread self-organized protests and everybody from little children to the elderly was proclaiming support for Anna Hazare and his cause for against corruption. 

The country had never witnessed anything like this before and some even saw this movement to be synonymous to the freedom struggle where the nation united to evict a foreign power. The media was equally taken a back and covered it with wonderment and astonishment. The base of the protests was the Ram-Leela grounds in Delhi and each day somebody of prominence would proclaim their support for the movement. The movement became the topic that capture the entire nation and almost brought the establishment to its knee.

Among the leading members of Team Anna was Arvind Kejriwal, despite Anna needed people who were adept and spreading his word and touring the various TV news studio. Kejriwal definitely fit the bill with respect to experience and communication skills. He was a graduate of the highly reputed Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and had worked for the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) as a Joint Commissioner. He was the recipient of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for Emergent Leadership for exposing the exposed a fake ration card scam in 2008. The very same year, he resigned from the IRS and he donated the Magsaysay award money to found the Public Cause Research Foundation, an NGO. His credential was this quite impeccable and worthy of being part of this movement that had aimed to not rest until a bill was passed in the Indian Parliament to combat corruption.

The movement did have its few critics who always maintained that the protesters were merely rabble rousers seeking easy publicity 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. What happens of this bunch demands something morally questionable or unethical? Does parliament still follow? 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.

Anna has always wanted his movement to remain apolitical but after a while the movement began to lose traction, there was also rumors of growing differences between the members of the group especially Anna and Kejriwal. Kejriwal was of the opinion that they had to enter active politics if they wanted to implement any sort of change and hence Kejriwal and his partners formed the aptly titled Aam Aadmi Party which literally meant the party of the common man. In a very Abraham Lincolnesque manner he proudly proclaimed was it was the first political party of its kind that 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. Many of the mainstream parties have members with criminal records 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 was highly educated and so were the other members of the AAP. 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 political party takes time to gain momentum; people had assumed that the AAP would take a few elections before it actually managed to win any seats. 

It was therefore when the AAP decided to contest for the Delhi Legislative Assembly, and many assumed that the results would be far from stellar. But what followed baffled many psephologist and analysts. The people had spoken and the AAP came in second position, but most importantly manages to dethrone the ruling party, and in an amazing bit of achievement for Kejriwal, he managed to defeat his opponent the current sitting CM Ms. Sheila Dixit.  These winds for change seemed to be gaining momentum in Indian political. What a monumental achievement it was for Kejriwal, from being part of a protest group to leading a newly formed political party that 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 the 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. This was the commencement of AAP’s journey to power. There was joy and celebration across country, since never before did any party see such gains in such a short time. Most politicians spent a life time and never become district level players and here was a man who in a matter of months had managed to be on the path to become the next CM of Delhi.

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 deteriorate, 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, this was a far cry from the emphatic proclamations to send Ms. Dixit to jail for corruption, it was assumed that he was in possession of the evidence. Was this because he has sought support from the Congress party and it was impossible to cut they branch that they were seated on or was this Kejriwal being irresponsible in attacking an individual without proof? 

This was probably the first blow to the admirers and supporters of AAP. 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 solve problems. As important as punishing people was it could be dealt with later. Then there was the infamous Junta Durbar that was abandoned due to mismanagement. The people all over the country witnessed hundreds of citizens of throng the Delhi Secretariat in hope to get an audience with the CM Kejriwal. But soon things went disastrously out of control, the police found themselves unable to control the crowd, Kejriwal seemed helpless too soon he left much to the disappointment of the attendees. 

Many hope that he would learn from his mistakes and that the subsequent Junta Durbars would be a smoother affair. But instead Kejriwal gave up totally and cancelled the Junta Durbars instead promising to meet people individually on a regular basis. This was a second blow to all the admirers of the AAP, but again the people didn’t lose faith, they knew that every important measure takes time to implement, they were optimistic that the AAP would lead several other initiatives that would help the cause of the common man.  But this optimism by the public was dealt with a brutal death blow when the AAP Law Minister of Somnath Bharti and AAP workers, together with television camera crews, stormed the Khirkee Are. Bharti and his supporters got into a shouting match with where Bharti was seen ordering the police to raid the homes rented by Ugandans after allegations of prostitution and drug pedaling.

When the police refused to do so citing protocol and procedure i.e. a lack of a warrant, Bharti allegedly led the caught four women and forced them to Nigerian and Ugandan nationality women to provide Urine samples. The women claimed that they had been threatened and even molested by the mob led by Bharti. All this reeked of racism, xenophobia and misogyny. The episode of Bharti shouting down a policeman was captured on camera and played ad infinitum by news channels. This Bharti the Law minister was seen openly breaking the law.  

Apart from the Opposition Parties, there were Human Rights Groups and Women rights groups who criticized the Minister’s action and demanded not only his apology but also his resignation. Most expected CM Kejriwal to sack Bharti for his gross misconduct. But to their great surprise Kejriwal not only supported Bharti but joined him 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, incidences of vandalism were reported 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 general public 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. Kejriwal also casually stated he would rather resign then allow this ‘injustice’ to happen.

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 by claiming moral grounds. Some also alleged that after reaping huge success at the Assembly elections Kejriwal had developed ambitions of a national level. Again Kejriwal promised that he had no such ambitions was only intended to do what was best for the citizens in Delhi. 

Soon the end came, Kejriwal resigned as Chief Minister after failing to table the Jan Lokpal Bill in the Assembly, he also recommended the dissolution of the Assembly. He blamed the opposition for delaying the anti-corruption law. Hence, in just within 49 days of being in power the AAP saga came to an end, there may have been some positives during this very brief tenure but they were largely overshadowed by the bad behavior and broken promises from the AAP.

Then Kejriwal Announced that he and his party were running for the Lok Sabha Elections, despite claims to the contrary the AAP had 433 of candidates contesting all over the nation. As part of the campaign Kejriwal did a variety of variety of activities such as visiting Gujarat to disprove its development, he was seen in requesting a journalist to alter coverage to suit his agenda, he was heard threatening to muzzle the press and finally threatened to contest against Modi. 

There were reports of people of questionable nature contesting as AAP candidates; this was such a fall from being the party who wanted to clean up the system. The AAP who had gained such public support after their surprise victory in the Delhi assembly elections had lost a lot of approval.  There was the incident where a frustrated former supporter slapped Kejriwal across the face while this reaction was misguided it was probably the sentiment that the voting public has for AAP and Kejriwal, a feeling of great betrayal. 

Then the election results were declared only 4 out of the 433 managed to win seats and 400 of them lost their deposits. A close look at the results show that most AAP candidates came in third or fourth showing the most people didn’t even consider them to be a factor. Kejriwal himself contested against the PM candidate Narendra Modi and lost with a considerable margin. To sum it up this was a complete rejection from the electorate who once regarded AAP as a beacon of hope.
Recently there were allegations that Kejriwal had made attempts to see if he can become CM of Delhi again by seeking support from the Congress, but those were quickly denied and he claimed to be in favor of fresh elections. 

He also apologized for the Delhi resignation admitting that he should have continued and governed. During the course of early part of the year Kejriwal had release a list of ‘most corrupt politicians’ this included the name of Nitin Gadkari. In response Gadkari had filed a defamation suit against Kejriwal, being unable to provide any concrete evidence. Kejriwal was asked to pay a bail bond of Rs. 10,000 which he refused and hence he was sent to jail. 

Again proof that Kejriwal both is ignorant himself and surrounded himself by the incompetent people. His assertion that acceptance of a bond is admission of guilt was also quite preposterous. The usual drama followed with AAP supporters protesting outside the jail, some other members blaming Modi and claiming to be ‘manhandled’. A few days later there was another hearing and again he refused to furnish the bond which led to extension of his jail term.  Funnily enough his AAP colleague Yogendra Yadav furnished a bond of Rs. 5000 and is out. Again the blame the opposition and Modi and claim victimhood. This saga will doubtlessly play out in the coming weeks but is anybody paying attention anymore.

The big question when this episode ends should the public even consider Kejriwal and AAP anymore for any political position? Before we answer that lets take a hard look at the fact during his tenure in Delhi.
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. During the early phase of the success that AAP secured during the Delhi Assembly elections, Vinod Kumar Binny was expelled for ‘rebelling against the party’ but in reality he had made claims that the party was straying from its principles, so it was clear that being disloyal was enough cause to be expelled all this despite claims to be a democratic party which welcomes diverse opinions. 

But the same party allowed Somnath Bharti despite unpardonable conduct and worst there were protests conducted in his support.  But by extending unconditional support to Bharti, Kejriwal appeared to condone bad behavior and also seemed like the typical old school partisan politicians who support his people irrespective of the crime and the outrage. Kejriwal had sought a plebiscite before seeking to form a government but surprisingly did nothing of a kind when he hastily chose to 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 and finally Kejriwal himself contesting from Varanasi. Then there is the relentless mudslinging on others which are often baseless without an iota of proof.

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, 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, accomplish a great deal on the state level thought hard efforts 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.

With such a damaged reputation, certain important members such as Captain Gopinath and Shazia Ilmi quitting and the rather amateurish reaction from the AAP leaders following the resignations and on the AAP’s official Twitter account; the resurrection for the AAP seems like a bumpy uphill ride. Another very serious consequence of the AAP catastrophe is that it may ruined the hopes of non-career politicians who want to join the movement without joining the major parties, the AAP experience must have made the electorate cynical and skeptical about the entire ‘we are not like then’ attitude.


So where does AAP go from here?  The first thing they need to do is some solid retrospection on what they set out to be and what they have become. They should decide to shun the spotlight, re-organize, regroup and rethink. Else the AAP and Kejriwal will carry the reputation of a failed political experiment, and a sensation-seeking, gimmick-driven traveling circus that plays only for the limelight, but more importantly who played the emotions of the citizen by the promise of bringing change and that will never be forgotten.