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Kejriwal’s troubled times

By Prem Chandran There are times when silence is golden. In the minimum, why talk ill of others, especially of .....




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06-15-2014
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Thumbs up Kejriwal’s troubled times


By Prem Chandran

There are times when silence is golden. In the minimum, why talk ill of others, especially of those whom one respected. Rather, why not turn back and take a long walk away from it all? These are the thoughts that come to us when we think about the anti-corruption movement in this country that raised so much expectations and about the likes of Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal who won great public acclaim.

The movement was a calling of the times: a time when the national wealth was being looted right and left by a set of politicos, bureaucrats, pimps and middlemen (and women) of various kinds. The “Nira Radia” expose was the tip of the iceberg, and those who were privy to information had more explosive information at their command. India’s great institutions like the aviation sector were up for grabs (thanks to shady political outfits like the NCP and its greedy leaders), and the Railways was being tossed about, an evidence of which came later in the Pavan Bansal scandal. Mineral wealth was being bestowed on the near and dear ones of top politicos for a song; Common Wealth Games, what should have been the moment of India’s glory, turned out to be India’s moment of shame. The 2G Spectrum followed.....

New cases of defence corruption came up, with another Italian link springing up. Judges (from Andhra Pradesh) were in the dock, charged with taking bribes of the order of crores to grant bail to a jailed mining baron. Even the judiciary, it appeared, was above redemption from the grip of such elements. Vegetable prices went up and down as per the whims of vested interests; and here is a situation in which even the milk from the shop shelves could not be trusted to be safe. Everyone was out to make money and make a kill. No file in government departments moved without citizens greasing the palms of the bureaucracy. The support to the anti-corruption movement rose out of the disgust of informed sections of the pubic against these evils gripping the society.

Worse, Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh who presided over a government began being seen as monumental burdens on the nation. Manmohan Singh was too good an individual, possibly, and the kind of academic and institutional background that he possessed left no room for him to behave like the crooks of the NCP lot or of the DMK variety, or to wield the stick and discipline such elements. This, however, is not to ignore the seasoned Smart Alecs in the Congress itself. Indians’ patience had its limits. It was time to say, enough was enough. In other words, the situation was tailor-made for the surfacing of the anti-corruption movement.

The movement, however, is all but in name today.

Clearly, the movement got its eminent push in the form of a spontaneous eruption of the youth power in New Delhi -- youths who, egged on by the extensive electronic media coverage to the Anna Hazare show, massed on the streets and made a war cry. That was the kind of the crowd that overthrew Hosni Mubarak in Egypt with loud slogans from a street corner in Cairo just a few months ago. Those running the government pissed in their pants or panties, offered to accept the movement’s demand for Lok Pal and brought the curtains down on the Hazare show. The veteran social activist withdrew to his base in Ralegan Siddiqi, Maharashtra, and the Kejriwals, the Prashant Bhushans and the Kiran Bedis stayed back in Delhi, only to eventually distance themselves from Anna or their own comrades-in-arm.

Corrupt politicos had a hearty laugh, and the anti-corruption movement stood in its tracks, unable to move further.

Those who came together in a hurry to share the dais in Delhi hurried with the same ease to split up. Egos played a part; and there were other issues as well, probably, namely that Anna Hazare did not approve of the idea of turning the movement into a political organization – something that Arvind Kejriwal eventually did by forming the Aam Aadmi Party.

Politics and activism cannot go together. One undercuts the other. Anna Hazare had the sense to understand it. It is not time yet to say that Arvind Kejriwal learned a lesson or two from the drubbing he got from the General Elections. The unexpected success of the AAP in the Delhi assembly elections came as a heady potion for him and his associates. They were led to believe that they could replicate the success elsewhere and across India with the same ease with which they won the seats in Delhi. People, they thought, were waiting for them. Membership campaigns began. Anyone could become a member for free!

For instance, this writer and his wife were among those who were waylaid at a streetcorner in Kolkata by a set of men –not Bengalis, though—and urged to take the AAP membership. All what one needed to do was give the mobile number, name and address. A membership drive was going on. In the end, having fielded candidates in over 400 constituencies, these men and women lost their deposits almost everywhere. Worse, Delhi turned its face on the AAP as well, the only saving grace being the four seats the party won in Punjab. Good; at least, it has managed to have a representation in Parliament. It was not a total washout.

Knowing the politicians as we know in this country, Arvind Kejriwal should still be seen as a gem of a leader among them. He neither took a bribe nor did a favour to his kith and kin. His history is the work he did for the disadvantaged sections of the people in Delhi. No doubt about that. But, how much can he go forward? And, how much of the clout he has to keep his flock together? Being nice is good for an activist; being nice alone will not work wonders in politics. You have to hit your targets, and hit it right too.

With Narendra Modi spreading his charisma far and wide, and winning more friends and followers as he took power in New Delhi, chances are that the next Assembly elections in Delhi will see a triumph of the BJP. If Delhi needs money to implement its developmental projects, who can give it other than Modi? If so, why would any sensible voter put his eggs in Kejriwal’s basket now, other than possibly the slum dwellers for whom water and electricity are what development is, and which is where the AAP is giving them hope.

Arvind Kejriwal setting himself against Narendra Modi was by itself a grim scenario. If Kejriwal based his activism on public welfare and a corruption-free governance, why would he target Modi, of all the leaders, without making a clear case against him, and then go to Varanasi to pitch a tent against the BJP PM nominee -- and ignore the sharks that looted the country. We all know who are the most corrupt politicians in this country. It is only that we cannot name them in print as long as we do not have documentary evidence to prove such charges.

The Congress party and its alliance partners were universally accepted to be the fountainheads of corruption; the others on the regional front are not above board either, other than possibly a Chief Minister in Tripura, who, by his simple life and high thinking, is keeping the CPM flag flying against odds. One reason for the UPA's bad image, no doubt, was that they have been in power for long, and another was that there was no effective control from the levels of the top party leadership or the governmental head. Every party that holds power tends to be corrupt, and we will get to know of the BJP’s national record sooner or later.

But, for now, how could the anti-corruption hero take an about-turn during the Lok Sabha elections, leave his base and rush to Varanasi, and in the process, again, cut a sorry figure?

It looks like, Kejriwal went out of the way to see Muslims as his vote bank; a dirty game that the wayward and cunning politicians in this country have been playing all along. That includes not just the Congress, but those of the Mamata Banerjee kind, and even the other regional satraps of the UP, Bihar and even Tamil Nadu. By contrast, Narendra Modi’s promise of inclusive governance comes as a breath of fresh air. Muslims or Christians or the other minorities in this country should get opportunities equal to that of Hindus. That is their right, and no one contests this right. Even hardcore Hindutva advocates do not contest this. Hinduism is the most liberal of all religions. But, by succumbing to such base temptations, which one supposes Kejriwal did in Varanasi and elsewhere, the inescapable feeling is that the AAP and its leadership have projected a poor image of themselves.

In the end, a word more about activism and politics. An activist can get beaten up on the road. People will support him and sympathize with him. But, a politician cannot afford to face such a situation. A leader is one who has to have the guts to fight back. For Arvind Kejriwal to fight back, he would require a battalion of thugs around him. Herein lies the dilemma. If he carries thugs around him and his party, what, then, will be the difference between him and the other discredited leaders in this country! premcee@gmail.com

www.indiahereandnow.com

Last edited by Premchandran; 07-06-2014 at 11:37 AM
  #2  
07-15-2014
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: Goregaon,Mumbai
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KEJRIWAL could have possibly attained power but because of his greed and crookedness he LOST LOKSABHA ELECTIONS badly and same is going to happen in Vidhansabha elections. People trusted him and voted he did not meet expectations of people and was EGOISTIC . He has all the bad qualities and cannot survive as a Minister. He cannot sacrifice. He uses THUGS TERRORISTS even to threaten straightforward people like ANNA HAZARE and other simple people.
  #3  
11-02-2014
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: May 2013
: Goregaon,Mumbai
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Kejriwal 24 hrs keep blaming MODIJI and BJP.Has he put a veil to see the corrupt and crooked cappabiggest MAHARATHIS of Congress like P Chidambaram,Sonia Gandhi and others. Y did he stand against MODIJI in Varanasi ( a PM candidate ) when all people like Rahul gandhi Mulayam Singh Yadav etc etc who are most treacherous persons in our country looting our Nation. Kejriwal seems to be mad guy has no sense and thinks he can make a fool of public. AS KIRAN BEDIJI RIGHTLY CALLS HIM DESH DROHI who is only capable of threatening straightforward people like ANNA HAZARE using big big underworlds like IMAM BUKHARI and terrorists. Kejriwal should be banned from contesting elections

 



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