Kejriwal’s moment of reckoning

As there is no last date in the political calendar, it may be premature to write the epitaph of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), although the path to recovery appears difficult for Arvind Kejriwal and his followers. The party’s uphill journey towards revival now hinges on two factors. First, AAP will have to retain Punjab, where the Assembly election is slated to be held within a couple of months. Second, it will have to nip any sort of dissidence in its Delhi unit, where more than half a dozen party MLAs, out of 22 at present, are reportedly in touch with the BJP for joining the saffron brigade. Both tasks are difficult, as the recent departure of seven party MPs to the BJP has already created an impression that the party, which had come into existence promising to change the political landscape of the country, is tottering within 15 years of its formation and ruling two states till recently.

As the entire credit goes to Kejriwal for AAP’s rise in Indian politics, he will have to accept the blame for its downfall too. Almost all the leaders who have left AAP in recent times have accused the party’s top leadership of deserting the ideals with which they had joined, with the aim of cleansing Indian politics. They found the style of functioning of Kejriwal and his lieutenants intolerable. Earlier, Kumar Biswas and Swati Maliwal, who made significant contributions to the party’s growth, had left, alleging that Kejriwal was surrounded by a coterie. Kejriwal has also faced allegations of preferring his rich friends over ordinary party workers while distributing party tickets for various elections. Clearly, all these developments have damaged his reputation as a leader among the people to a large extent.

Coming to the latest defections by party MPs, it can be inferred that Kejriwal was aware of the resentment within the party. Otherwise, he would not have promised Rajya Sabha tickets to disgruntled leaders. The question is why MPs should be promised tickets so far in advance when the party is set to face anti-incumbency in Punjab in the forthcoming Assembly elections. These steps appear to have been taken to keep them in good humour, as they were not in sync with the party’s top leadership on several issues. Instead of promising them another term in the Rajya Sabha, Kejriwal would have done better to listen to their grievances and resolve differences amicably.

In politics, nothing can be taken for granted as the political scenario keeps changing. However, Kejriwal appears unwilling to change his approach and continues to rely heavily on his anti-corruption image, without delivering anything significant to root out the problem. This may explain why even his close associates are leaving. To regain the lost ground, Kejriwal will have to change his style of functioning and rebuild public confidence.