A chip off the old block
Dear Sir,
The performance of Arvind Kejriwal, who has resigned as Delhi’s chief minister, has come as a huge disappointment. I am thoroughly convinced that his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has clearly conveyed the message to the people of India that it is no different from any other political groups whose ultimate aim is the quest for power.
Most Delhi residents had great hope when the AAP was voted into power because it really seemed an alternative to the Congress and the BJP. People in India are really desperate to have a change of guard in Delhi.
An AAP wave swept across the country just after its victory in Delhi, mainly because of its populist policies as laid out in its election manifesto. But after coming into power in Delhi, a Union Territory-state, Kejriwal had failed to deliver.
The AAP has been mired in controversies, revelling in them rather than concentrating on governance.
Kejriwal had defended law minister Somnath Bharati for carrying out a midnight raid in a Delhi area last month, alleging drug trafficking and sex racket by some of African nationals living there. This caused a huge embarrassment to India’s ministry of external affairs.
Kejriwal then staged a protest in Delhi, seeking action against those police officers who did not comply with the law minister’s order. It had gone to the extent that the protest would have disrupted the country’s Republic Day celebrations.
AAP members boycotted news channels which reported that Kejriwal had booked two bungalows after coming to power in Delhi.
The AAP also began to defend the “Khap Panchayats” in Haryana whom the Supreme Court of India had crticised as militant.
Last but not the least was the drama staged in the Delhi Assembly in the name of the Jan Lokpal Bill which Kejriwal had tabled, ignoring the letter of the lieutenant governor. When the bill was voted out, he promptly quit as Delhi’s chief minister, claiming himself to be an anti-corruption campaigner and putting the blame on the Congress and the BJP for the bill’s failure.
After 49 days in office Kejriwal seems to have realised that political gimmickry is the best way to enhance his image since he had completely failed in governance. The run-up to parliament elections this year is on the agenda of India’s political parties rather than good governance.
Jawahar Bharathan, [email protected]
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