Delhi`s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has resigned. Kejriwal and AAP leaders are projecting the resignation as a political martyrdom. AAP supporters are claiming that Kejriwal has quit the Chief Minister`s chair without wasting a second over the Jan Lokpal issue.
But, is it really so? Has Kejriwal become a victim of the political system or has he emerged as a winner? Has he really made any sacrifice or his resignation over the Jan Lokpal issue and his 48-day stint in politics was just a part of a well written script? Come, lets delve more on this.
Arvind Kejriwal & team got just 28 out of 70 seats in the Delhi Assembly, while the BJP bagged 32. AAP needed 36 seats to be able to form the government in Delhi. There were more people in Delhi who wanted to see them sit in opposition than form the government. More precisely, this meant that they did not get the real mandate to rule. However, AAP later orchestrated the ``public referendum`` drama and decided to form the government by getting the consent of a select few, claiming it was the decision of voters in Delhi. The AAP government was formed eventually.
In the last 48 days, Arvind Kejriwal made many promises, announced many policies, took rapid-fire decisions and even fulfilled some of the promises made by the AAP in its election manifesto. The Kejriwal government announced 50 percent cut in power tariffs. Decision to supply 700 litres of free water daily was also made. A call centre to register cases of corruption was also set up. A helpline was formed to assist parents on nursery admissions. And apart from all this, the Team Kejriwal also made its presence felt through press conferences, statements and theatrics.
But despite all this in his 48-day rule, Kejriwal should be asked few questions over his political activism and his flip-flops. Why Kejriwal kept mum on Robert Vadra, while he relentlessly targeted him before coming to power? His tirade against Vadra (Sonia Gandhi`s son-in-law) had played a big role in establishing him as a politician and people were expecting that some action would be taken against him, but he did nothing.
Why Kejriwal remained quiet on the issue of Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti? In the past 48 days, Kejriwal said nothing against Congress - the very party he targeted - but did trouble Sheila Dikshit, who has now been sidelined by the Congress party.
Arvind Kejriwal must answer why his party sought no public opinion before resigning while it held referendum on almost every issue to validate its decisions. Actually, AAP is not worried about the fate of Jan Lokpal, it has its eyes set on the Lok Sabha; and General Elections, not the aam aadmi, is in the centre of all its activities. Arvind Kejriwal had only this on his mind while he wrote the script of his resignation. A well thought-out and a tight script, which portrayed the sufferings of aam aadmi, had sea of emotions, projected a hero taking on the system, had sympathisers, villains and a nautanki of sacrifices in it.
Arvind Kejriwal wrote a perfect script and enacted it with full perfection during the 48 days till its end. That was Kejriwal`s USP. Through his script, Kejriwal left acclaimed screenplay writers like Salim-Javed miles behind because from the beginning to end, every scene was enacted as Kejriwal had intended.
Amidst all this, Kejriwal proved that anything can happen if one has enough will power and a different line of thought. Kejriwal made a scathing attack on the rotting political system of the country and launched a successful crusade against red beacons and the VIP culture.
By establishing a direct communication with public, Kejriwal gave a stern message to big political parties like Congress and BJP that politics without the active involvement of aam aadmi has no place left in India.
Although it`s a different issue altogether that Kejriwal too faced flak over the issues of official bungalows and his security, and for many unfulfilled promises made by his party. But all this while, he knew that only Jan Lokpal issue can give him a safe exit route, which was also the ` climax` of his script.
Interestingly, Kejriwal intends that this `climax` be the `turning point` in the script that paves way for a sequel to his story. So, will there be a sequel to Kejriwal`s tale? If one sees Kejriwal`s 48 days as a TV serial then maybe it`s time to ask if there will be a Season 2 of the Arvind Kejriwal saga?