WITHER GONE ARVIND KEJRIWAL AND HIS PARTY?

It was a meteoric rise. It was an incredible nose-dive. Within one year of its formation it could draw the attention of the whole world. Majority of citizens across India - most of them middle class citizens and those belonging to the lower middle class - got attracted to the new party.

AAP(Aam Admi Party) leaders, through their dedication and sincerity spread far and wide across the nation was in the vanguard against massive corruption, poverty, unemployment, millions of masses without roofs over head, lack of sanitation, scarcity of pure drinking water, sky-rocketing prices of essential commodities and food – all eating into the vitals of national fabric fought against government in the citadels of power through peaceful demonstrations. Leaders and followers of the party visited each household and those without covers of their heads drew the attention and apprised them of the immediate need of changing the shape of the body-politic.

Arvind Kejriwal, Yogendra Yadav, Manish Sisodia and a number of leaders made the people aware of the murky political situation prevailing across the nation and could succeed in bringing the latter to its fold. The citizens who were suppressing their anger and indignation since decades at last got a savior to fight for them. The excitement and enthusiasm with which they flocked to the leaders of Aam Admi Party were inspiring.

The bye-elections to the assemblies of five States were round the corner and the party under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal decided to contest from New Delhi with vigour, spirit and determination mobilized the citizens as a first step in the direction. Even AAP members of other States caught trains to New Delhi to contribute their mite and invoked the Delhi citizens to exercise their franchise and catapult the Aam Admi Party to power. The citizens of Delhi with courage and conviction cast their valuable votes in favour of AAP at the hustings since they were reeling under the pressure of corruption, unemployment, poverty etc since a prolonged period.

With the counting of votes nearing its end, to everyones’ surprise and delight AAP came second, the first being BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) but without the majority to form a govt.

The Congress got relegated a poor third and to prevent the BJP from cobbling together a govt the former decided to extend its support to AAP to run the Union Territory of Delhi.

Thus a party of one year old was elevated to power with full of promises.

With Arvind Kejriwal in the chair of Chief Minister, a group of his colleagues held the positions of various Ministries, the govt proceeded ahead implementing a host of reforms. Mr.Kejriwal’s unnecessary hurry proved his undoing. True. He could provide seven hundred litres of water free of charge to those who were suffering from scarcity of water, cutting the power-tariff to half bringing cheers in the faces of Delhites those were good times to Delhites.

With him taking up tabling of Jan Lokpal in the Assembly, Indian National Congress(INC) which was extending support to his govt from outside decided to withdraw support to his govt since the leaders of the INC were apprehending framing of charges against them for the massive corruption indulged in by them. But Mr.Kejriwal, the young man in a hurry remained stubborn, tabled the bill in the Assembly. With BJP and Congress members voting against Kejriwal was left with no choice except to step down after 49 days of AAP’s holding of power. Later he even went to the extend of offering unqualified apology to the Delhites but they couldn’t and wouldn’t wanted to share the blame with him.

Within three to four months, approached General elections and AAP wanted to field candidates across the States. And it did. But with rumblings within AAP and many resigning from the party as they got fed up with the party the party could garner only four seats, that too from Punjab. Delhi which made him Chief Minister and blessed his party once, turned their faces away from him and his party and was pushed into a big zero.

Nowadays, even the party’s name not coming up I wonder what actually happened to Mr.Kejriwal and his colleagues.

As Jairam Rmaesh, the Congress leader put it ‘the AAP can’t be called a party but it is a collection of inividuals’. His statement has been proved right.