From ‘Aam’ to ‘Khaas’ to ‘Nautankibaaz’

The records were broken. A debutant outdoes the government of 15 years. It was a new dawn for the common man, they said.

Braving the Delhi cold in an oversized sweater, a muffler tied around his head and a Gandhi topi that read ‘Main hoon Aam Aadmi’, Arvind Kejriwal rose as a hero and the sole saviour  of the common man when he was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Delhi in December, 2013.

An erstwhile government officer and an IITian, Kejriwal’s claim to fame and power is the result of his dharnas which he’s been holding right from the days when together with Anna Hazare, he launched a campaign against corruption for the Jan Lokpal Bill to be passed.

The anti-corruption movement started with a furore in many parts of the country but was a massive hit in the national capital. Anna’s long awaited dream finally came true on 18^th December 2013 when the Centre passed the Lokpal Bill.

Hazare, from the beginning, had no political aspirations hence he distanced himself from Kejriwal when he formed the ‘Aam Aadmi Party’ in 2012.

Formerly criticized by many political outfits, Kejriwal’s party, acronymed as AAP, has carved a niche for itself in the Indian politics. In the 2013 Delhi Assembly elections, AAP outnumbered the then reigning government of Congress but lagged behind BJP, who had the highest number of seats.

Inspite of shouting anti-Congress slogans before and during the elections, the AAP formed the government in Delhi in coalition with Congress. This raised many eyebrows but the party was clear on its agenda, that is, to work for the interests of the ‘aam aadmi’ and that the party cannot be taken granted by the Congress.

After assuming office, Kejriwal took up the job of catering to the needs of the public. For the same, he announced to provide them with free water and electricity. He kept his promise and Delhi households now can have 20 kilolitres of free water a month. Also, he announced a Rs. 220 crore subsidy to slash the consumer’s power bill by half for up to 400 units.

Till this point, everything seemed alright. But what stuck as an eyesore for many people is the fact that their beloved ‘aam’ leader was gradually becoming a ‘dramebaaz’.

He rejected the government bungalow, reserved for the CM of Delhi; even declined the two duplex flats that were offered to him. He garnered the tile of being a ‘show-off’ for this act of his. Many events followed which questioned his governance in Delhi.

Very recently, AAP member and Delhi’s Law minister Somnath Bharti raided the residence of African nationals in the Khirkee extension, accusing them of drug and sex trafficking. He had approached the Delhi police to do so but they denied stating that they lacked a warrant. Somnath’s allegations turned out to be false. The four women he caught alleged that the mob led by Somnath threatened and molested them. Somnath terms these allegations untrue.

There was a lot of pressure on Kejriwal to sack Somnath from the party for his vigilantism. But Mr. Kejriwal turned the tables and rather sat on a dharna and demanded the suspension of the police officers who refused to conduct the raid. May be for Kejriwal, his party members and himself are always right. Apna kaam banta, bhaad mein jaaye janta - these words are always on his mind it seems.

It’s appalling for the common man to learn that the leader they had elected has been misusing his power and has inclined towards people who’ve indirectly promoted racism.

Kejriwal has also launched a nationwide drive, wherein one can become a member of the Aam Aadmi Party. This drive, named as ‘Main Bhi Aam Aadmi’, hopes to reach out to the people residing in Delhi as well as other parts of the country by rendering them free membership. AAP urged the people to register online, through messages or email, to be a part of the ‘change’.

Yet again, even this move had many loopholes which resulted in many fake registrations, including the likes of ‘Narendra Modi’, ‘Rahul Gandhi’ and even Hollywood actor ‘Angeline Jolie’. AAP says that is has scrutinized and removed the illegal registrations but only the test of time would reveal the ‘real’ supporters of the party.

Even after being the national capital, Delhi’s image is blemished in the international arena as women’s safety has become a major issue following the Nirbhaya rape and murder case, Gudiya rape case and very recently, the gang-rape of a 51 year old Danish woman shamed the city.

It would be a herculean task for Kejriwal to reinstate the faith of women in this metro city. What shall he do to ensure the safety of women in the city as the CM is the question of the hour.

Ever since Kejriwal took to the office, many eyebrows were raised questioning his ability to govern citing the lack of experience his party members and he has. These doubts did not prove futile as the Kejriwal government failed to impress the Delhi people as their expectations and demands were not met.

The biggest blot on the AAP government came when Union Home Minster Sushilkumar Shinde called Mr. Kejriwal ‘Veda Mukhyamantri’, which means ‘Mad Chief Minister’ as Shinde thinks Kejriwal is being ‘ignorant’ in running the affairs of the government.

Even TV sensation Rakhi Sawant was compared to Kejriwal by Shiv Sena stating that Sawant can govern better than him. Sawant too ridiculed him by calling him an ‘item boy’.

In the long run, Kejriwal’s credibility and reliability as the CM of an already troubled state is the real test of his capability of governance. Certainly, this is the time when he keeps aside his ‘dharnas’ and get into some real action.