When Arvind Kejriwal resigned as Delhi Chief Minister after Lokpal Bill was defeated in February 2014 only 49 days after he assumed office, he took the high moral ground, elections were held almost one year later and the civil servant-turned-politician returned to power with AAP winning 67 out of 70 seats. Can he repeat the performance now as he has once again taken the high moral ground and announced to quit on Tuesday? After spending months behind bars in the Delhi liquor scam case, Kejriwal who claims to be diehard honest (‘kattar imandar’) was quick to declare that he would be back in office only after the masses reposed faith in him. Will the people of Delhi vote once again to keep the AAP in office when the Delhi Assembly Elections are held?
Clever Trick Of Shrewd Politician
The detractors and political opponents of the Delhi CM wonder why he did not quit when he was arrested and instead tried to run the government from the cell of Tihar Jail. Here also lies the answer to this question. Those who know Arvind Kejriwal or keep an eye on his politics point out that this is the political style of the Delhi CM. In an attempt to reject the charge of corruption and make the attack of the Opposition blunt, he declined to oblige. However, after receiving the bail and coming out of jail, he needs to jump the high moral ground and go to the polls riding on the wave of his image of diehard honest (‘kattar imandar’).
BJP Targets Arvind Kejriwal
In an attempt to take the wind out of his sail, the BJP has hit the Delhi CM hard and accused him of being directly involved in corrupt practices, including the Delhi liquor scam. Questioning his intention and taking a dig at Kejriwal, BJP leader CR Kesavan says, “With all these corruption charges against him being the kingpin of the liquor scam, he is afraid to go to the people.” Calling it yet another shady stunt of Arvind Kejriwal, he said that in this drama of deceit, he is trying to dupe and cheat the people by going to them.
AAP’s Strategy
Political observers believe as the Supreme Court has barred the Delhi CM from going to the Secretariat and signing files except those that may be sent to Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, Kejriwal wants to take advantage of the situation.
Secondly, as the CM does not hold any portfolio and has assigned everything to others, there is no problem in the smooth functioning of the day-to-day governance.
The De-Facto Ruler
Thirdly, Arvind Kejriwal has established himself as the de-facto ruler of the AAP and Delhi government despite the pretension of being a common man and having delegated power to others. He has been accused of being a dictator by his old party comrades who have left the AAP, and political observers believe keeping the reins of the government despite himself not being in it is not a problem for Kejriwal. So he can rule the city-state despite not being in it.
Political observers also point out that the AAP is gearing up to hold the bull by its horns and go to the masses and launch a door-to-door campaign with the twin aims of pleading his innocence and attacking the BJP.
Kejriwal’s Twin Strategy
The analysts believe that Arvind Kejriwal’s image of an honest politician and AAP’s image of zero-tolerance toward corruption have received severe beatings after Satyendar Jain, Sanjay Singh, Manish Sisodia and Arvind Kejriwal were pushed behind bars. Fighting against corruption being the main political plank of the party, the Delhi CM has to fight with his back to the wall to prove his innocence.
Arvind Kejriwal’s strategy hinges on this and his success in the forthcoming Delhi Assembly Election depends on how he succeeds in convincing the masses that he is innocent. When he played the gamble in 2014, the odds were in his favor. But much of the water has flown down the Yamuna river and the politician who claimed to be ‘kattar imandaar’ is standing at the crossroads.
