Having assumed office and formed the Government, Arvind
Kejriwal proceeded to enact some very poorly thought-out actions:
- Refusing the Chief Ministerial bungalow and wanting to move into two pent houses instead
- Taking a Metro ride that proved much more expensive for the public coffers than bodyguards would have
- Promising free water and delivering it with conditions and subsidies (Subsidies are never a long term solution to any problem)
- Dropping their promise of action against Sheila Dixit (the former Chief Minister of Delhi) for her role in the CWG scam
- Sitting in dharna (where Kejriwal all but lost face)
And finally resigning just 7 short weeks after they assumed
office – because the Janlokpal Bill didn’t move as they wanted it to.
The resignation was the ultimate betrayal of all the trust
reposed in AAP. It shattered trust of
millions of people across the country who were looking at AAP as the wind of
change.
Arvind Kejriwal and AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) pushed Delhi back
to Governor’s Rule facing the inevitable re-election that should have happened
in the end of 2013 itself. The resignation was handed over because AAP wanted
to pass a Bill and they faced the reality of the House. It had to be their way
or no way. This smacked of childishness. Maturity would have been to persevere.
Maturity would have been to adapt to the ground reality of governance and
conduct the journey of the Bill with dedication.
Bad enough that Kejriwal and Co. resigned in a huff but what
is worse is that they seem to have abandoned their anti-corruption stance ever
since. Their cry of ending corruption in
the country was not focused at ending it in a few people or in a few pockets.
They were driving for its end everywhere irrespective of whether it was
bureaucracy, judiciary, law or politics. Their resolve to end corruption was
industry, function and Party agnostic.
But this stance became suspect. First they didn’t deliver on
their promise of taking action against Shelia Dixit. Folks were disappointed
with that – especially since it seemed to be the trade-off for the Congress
support that they had received. Then, after dissolving the State Government,
Kejriwal and AAP geared themselves up for the General Elections. Campaigning
for the General Elections, Kejriwal left the anti-corruption stance and became
single-minded in an anti-Modi rhetoric. Huh?! What about the other Parties
stiff with corrupt and corruption? How come Congress doesn’t feature in
Kejriwal’s discourse anymore? After offering their support to him have they
suddenly stopped being responsible for the scams of the past 10 years?
Something doesn’t add up here.
So now the question is can India trust Kejriwal again? Can
he deliver constancy? Can he deliver Party agnostic idealism? Can he convert
good intentions into making a real difference?
Can he deliver?