Ironical, the day a new political party was born in Tamil Nadu, another new outfit, ruling Delhi, unspooled most unpleasantly. The sequence of events may still be contested, but there’s no denying Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government’s relations with its bureaucracy has broken down, beyond repair. Where does that leave his government? Within a short span of AAP’s existence, Kejriwal has proved beyond doubt that his politics is unnecessarily loud and rebellious.
He did initiate a few policies that made basic amenities affordable and better. But can his governance model succeed without the bureaucracy? The answer is, no. Unfortunately, Kejriwal exemplifies ‘my-way-or-the-highway’ line of thinking. As a result, he first spectacularly fell out with fellow travelers, Anna Hazare, Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav, and now the bureaucracy. Vested interests and the red-tape have never endeared the babu to the public or those wanting to bring about real change. Kejriwal’s aggressive politics has managed to ensure the babus end up earning public sympathy.
Kejriwal’s transition from an activist to a politician has not been easy. In fact, it’s been a painful process. How else can a chief secretary’s alleged beating by two MLAs at the CM’s residence be described? And what was the need for a midnight meeting? Whether it was to coerce the top bureaucrat to release ads glorifying three years of AAP government or for getting food rations released, neither justify the timing. Kejriwal’s ‘elected’ government is in a constant tug-of-war with the unelected lieutenant governor of Delhi. But he’s not the first CM working under the shared power constraint.
His predecessor too worked in a similar situation, when the Centre was ruled by a rival party. There was no pitched battle. Kejriwal and AAP must realise nothing can be more damaging than a charge that a CM is encouraging lawless acts to have his way. Success in politics is also about how well the opponent is outsmarted, without loss of moral ground and a sense of civility.