Last weekend, Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) held a public meeting at the historic Ramlila grounds in Delhi. The rally was an attempt to create an atmosphere against the Central government for bringing an ordinance restoring control of the national capital territory with the Centre.
During the run-up to the rally Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal travelled across India to the states ruled by non-BJP parties, met the chief ministers and pleaded for the support for his cause. He also met the major Opposition leaders in the states like Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, which is ruled by the BJP and allies, and sought their support.
He also met the top Congress leadership, and pleaded for their support. While nobody said no to Kejriwal’s plea, no one turned up in Delhi to join the rally at the Ramlila grounds. The only exception being former Congress leader Kapil Sibal. Kejriwal’s public meeting in the summer of 2023 at the historic ground would go into the annals of history as a non-event.
This is in sharp contrast to the rally which was held for days together which Kejriwal mobilised at the same ground a decade ago as part of India Against Corruption (IAC) movement. The platform of IAC had the permanent presence of veteran agitator from Maharashtra, Anna Hazare.
During the course of the days that the rally was held at the ground, the stage was visited by many apolitical personalities exhorting people to repose trust in the movement. More than the personalities on the stage, it were the people who turned up in hordes through the fortnight that gave gravitas to the movement.
Nothing similar happened last weekend when Kejriwal’s party held the convention at the same ground. A decade ago while bugle was blown against corruption, last week the party was defending two of its senior leaders languishing in jail on corruption charges.
The two of the senior-most AAP members and former ministers, Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, are in jail in connection with corruption cases. While Jain is alleged to be involved in a money laundering case, Sisodia was arrested by the CBI and later by the ED for alleged irregularities and corruption in the Delhi Excise Policy case. Both stalwarts of the anti-corruption movement have been denied bail by the courts.
During the run-up to the rally, loud claims were made that it would be attended by one lakh people but nothing of that kind happened. During the Anna Hazare’s movement, the assembly was under the open sky and crowd spilled over onto the adjoining roads. This time a hall was built to save people from heat.
Given that the rally failed to arouse strong sentiments which Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) would have expected, Kejriwal seems to have reconciled to live the with the ordinance which has been promulgated by the Centre restoring the power of transfers and postings to the Lieutenant Governor. He has called the first meeting of the National Capital Civil Service Authority, constituted through the aforementioned ordinance by the Centre. The meeting has been summoned by the Delhi Chief Minister on June 20 even though he has called the panel a “farce”.
The decision to live with the ordinance is also evident with the AAP leaders upping the ante against the Congress, which has so far remained non-committal on supporting Kejriwal on the ordinance issue. Any such move by the party high command has been opposed tooth and nail by the Congress leaders from Punjab and Delhi.Ten years is a short time in politics, but long enough to travel long distances. Arvind Kejriwal in past 10 years has indeed travelled a long distance.
Sidharth Mishra
Author and president, Centre for Reforms,Development & Justice