AAP totally dependent on Kejriwal
The Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Is a party built on an anti-corruption platform, driven by thousands of
volunteers from across the socio-economic spectrum, and striving to explore a
“third way” beyond the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress. Although it has attracted its share of
opportunists, AAP still continues to be powered by the enthusiasm of the many
who believe in its alternative politics.
That very base of support has now been rattled by Delhi Chief Minister
Arvind Kejriwal’s decision to apologise to political adversaries who he
targeted in the past. Kejriwal has apologised to Shiromani Akali Dal leader
Bikram Singh Majithia, Congress leader Kapil Sibal and his son Amit, and union
cabinet minister Nitin Gadkari. Kejriwal’s apologies have disappointed AAP
supporters and they feel
“deceived” by Kejriwal’s move.
Yet, Kejriwal’s supporters defend him strongly, arguing that he has
chosen to focus on governance in Delhi rather than waste time flying around the
country attending hearings on the defamation cases filed against him.
The AAP government has been under extraordinary pressure in Delhi because
of Lieutenant governors. Bureaucrats working for the Delhi government owe their
careers to the union government, not the state.
The national implications of the party’s current situation are also not
inconsiderable. The crisis will have a demoralising effect on AAP cadres in
states like Punjab and Maharashtra, where it has developed a sizeable presence.
The real question that this crisis provokes is about the kind of
politician Kejriwal will be in the future. Although
the urgency of winning Delhi in 2019 might yet see Kejriwal return to his
combative mode, this controversy highlights AAP’s grave weakness—that its
fortunes depend too much on Kejriwal’s personality.
That AAP does well in Delhi—a microcosm of India—speaks to the potential
of a platform that is committed to transparency and the poor.
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