Arvind Kejriwal resigned as Chief Minister of Delhi after suffering a defeat in the Assembly on the Jan Lokpal Bill, bringing to an end a tumultuous run of 49-days in power on top of an anti-graft civil society movement. Government sources told PTI that he has sent his resignation to Lt Governor Najeeb Jung shortly after a meeting of the Cabinet on February 14. Forty two of the total 70 MLAs opposed his much publicised Jan Lokpal Bill. His move of pushing the Bill was termed as un-Constitutional both by Congress and BJP. This resignation is viewed as a strategic move to gain sympathy before General Elections 2014. His problems started with the infamous midnight raids by Law Minister Somnath Bharti and subsequent flop-show of dharna against Delhi Police at Rail Bhawan. He tried to regain the media space by filing FIRs against industrialists and politicians on energy issue and wanted a reason to project himself as the martyr. His pet issue of Jan Lokpal has finally provided one. Whether this resignation benefits the ‘anarchic’ leader or dislodge him from the political scene, only time will tell.
Amba Charan Vashishth
ddressing a meeting of his party’s national executive on January 31,he had released a list of 27 politicians belonging to different political organisations whom he dubbed as “corrupt”. The list does not include any name from his own outfit because AAP leaders, in his view, are all icons of honesty notwithstanding the fact that a number of allegations have appeared in the media against one of his favourite minister too. An AAP MLA has also been accused of sexual molestation of a woman.
There is nothing new in Kejriwal’s rhetoric. He is used to this kind of language and conduct. During the last one year of his life as a politician he has charged numerous politicians as “corrupt”, spanning almost every political hue. To him, it looks like the only way to trumpet to the world that he—and his AAP—is the only ‘honest’ politician in the country is to drum up all others as ‘corrupt’.
Kejriwal had levelled serious charges against his predecessor Delhi Chief Minister Mrs. Sheila Dikshit and declared that within a few days of his taking over, she and most of her ministers would be behind bars. The Delhi people gave him the chance to come out true to his words but 45 days after his taking over, nothing seems to have moved decisively in the right direction.
He seems to be failing in his conviction and commitment to the pious cause of being crusader against corruption. His verbiage is more directed to appeal to the gallery than doing anything great when he himself is at the helm of affairs in Delhi Government. On the basis of documents and evidence in his possession against his targets. They would have, if he were sincere to the cause, lost no time in knocking the door of courts to seek orders for registration of criminal cases against those he accuses of graft. On the contrary, he preferred to get fascinated only to the glamour of media glare.
During Assembly elections in Delhi in November last year, a CD was released containing serious charges of corruption and misdoings against persons contesting elections on his AAP’s symbol. One of the CD showed Kejriwal having himself sent an SMS to his party man saying that he had allegedly sold his party’s nomination to a person for2 crores. After first denying the allegations Kejriwal then constituted a committee composed of his own men of confidence to look into the allegations.
What would be Kejriwal’s reaction if following his example every political party, like him, ordered an in-house inquiry by its own men into allegations made by him and gave a certificate of innocence and honesty to those he accuses them of having indulged in corruption?
A PIL had been filed in the Delhi High Court seeking registration of a criminal case against AAP leaders for receiving foreign funds. According to a statement filed by Ministry of Home Affairs, the AAP has not supplied information sought by the Ministry. AAP claims transparency in all its functioning. Then why should it prevaricate in supplying the information when its hands are clean?
The grandiloquence and conduct of Kejriwal party boils down to a simple conclusion: His fight against graft is not aimed at eradicating corruption but confined to earning political mileage and deriving electoral dividends, nothing less than that. AAP suffers from the same fallings and failings every other political party suffers from and he speaks against. By his words and actions he has only exposed himself and failed to prove different from others of his clan.
Kiran Bedi hits at Kejriwal
Team Anna member Kiran Bedion February 9 hit out at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for threatening to resign if the Jan Lokpal Bill is not passed in the Assembly by questioning whether the anti-graft legislation was drafted just to cause a “major confrontation while blaming others”.
“I wonder if the Delhi Lokayukta Bill is drafted to be passed? Or was it to cause major confrontation to walk away while blaming many others!” she tweeted. She also claimed that Kejriwal was seeking Anna Hazare’s support now, but did not even remember the Gandhian during his swearing-in as Chief Minister. “At swearing-in as CM Delhi, AK completely forgot Anna! There was no expression of gratitude even! Now Anna’s support being sought yet again!!” Upping the ante over the Jan Lokpal Bill, Mr Kejriwalon Sundaynight threatened to resign if his pet anti-graft legislation is not passed by the State Assembly due to lack of support from other parties.
Sting by BBC on AAP UK members
The Aam Aadmi Party UK official unit members were exposed in a BBC sting on January 10. The BBC exposed thevisa scandal in the UK in which a college (Leyton College) run by some of AAP UK team core members. Varinder Bajarh and Hemant Kumarwhose names have been mentioned quite frequently in the sting are the main people named in the sting as the Directors of the College. Overseas BJP UK strongly condemned the corrupt practicesof the AAM Party members and urges Arvind Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan and his party to practice what they preach.
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