Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s apology to former Punjab Minister Bikram Singh Majithia for alleging during last year’s Assembly polls that Majithia was involved in the drug trade has surprised many AAP MLAs but many say this was bound to happen. In his apology, Kejriwal wrote: “In the recent past, I made certain statements and allegations against you regarding your alleged involvement in drug trade.
Now, I’ve learnt the allegations are unfounded. I hereby withdraw all my statements and allegations made against you and apologise for the same.” Kejriwal’s action follows a similar apology he offered to the BJP’s Avtar Singh Bhadana in a defamation case. According to AAP leaders close to Kejriwal, the Delhi CM is also likely to reach out to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Kejriwal had alleged massive corruption in the DDCA when Jaitley helmed the cricket body. The Delhi CM faces a defamation case here too and top lawyers, including Ram Jethmalani who represented Kejriwal in the courts, have quit.
The string of apologies perhaps marks a realisation that Kejriwal had bitten more than he could chew. Following his stunning landslide election victory in Delhi in 2015, he was hailed by many as a man who could take on the might of PM Narendra Modi. Even established regional leaders like the Trinamool’s Mamata Banerjee befriended him.
All this perhaps gave Kejriwal the false notion that he alone could take on the BJP and rally anti-Modi forces. In his hurry to be the sole voice against Modi and what he called a corrupt system, the Delhi CM attacked the PM almost on a daily basis, at times levelling bizarre charges. He also embarked upon an election journey, contesting many Assembly polls even though AAP did not have the organisational strength there. Two years after the heady win in Delhi, he has perhaps realised he was in too much of a hurry and that there are no shortcuts in politics. It is a process and a journey that is long and arduous. Better late than never though.