Shri Arvind Kejriwal Sahab
This is an appeal from an aam aadmi (please not to be mistaken your party volunteer, I’m a common man).
We voted you to power so that Delhi could get rid of corruption. Your poll plank was based on movement against corruption. We were much hopeful that you and your party Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will take on the Congress and the BJP. Your challenge to established political parties gave common man moral courage.
But, with the recent incidents like the appointment of 21 parliamentary secretaries for six ministers, stepping down of your Transport Minister Gopal Rai on charges of corruption, etc have shattered our dreams. This is not the first time. Even in the past the AAP has got embroiled in various controversies. One after the other.
How long can a common citizen hoping for change, wait for “clean” and “transparent” administration you promised for. What happened to your Lok Pal Bill in the name of which you sacrificed your 49 days government? If you alleged, Congress and BJP failed to deliver, could AAP do anything better, except creating controversies and be in news headlines.
It is so disheartening to see that you, who started as an honest politician, who spoke from his heart and promised to provide an alternative and clean politics, now spares none. You level allegations and charges against the President of India, Prime Minister, Lieutenant Governor of NCT of Delhi, and each and everyone, when their tune is not in sync with yours.
You were expected to create a moral force for other political parties and not following them as you did in case of appointing parliamentary secretaries. Your claim to be different has shattered as you have clearly made the political appointments flouting office of profit rules. In the case of these appointments parliamentary secretaries, when President Pranab Mukherjee refused to give his assent to the proposed legislation that sought to protect, with retrospective effect, 21 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs from disqualification for occupying additional posts deemed unconstitutional, you blamed Narendra Modi for it. Losing no opportunity, you accused the PM of creating obstacles in Delhi government’s functioning by targetting AAP MLAs.
You must be well aware that the President didn’t give assent to ‘The Delhi Members of Legislative Assembly (Removal of Disqualification) (Amendment) Bill 2015’ under Modi’s influence, but purely on the basis of existing law.
You argued that the post of parliamentary secretary is not an office of profit, as the MLAs do not receive any financial benefit and are not entitled to any perks.
“No MLA was given a single paisa, car or bungalow in their capacity as parliamentary secretary and they were giving the service free”—this was your statement made in public, Kejriwal Sahab!
But as per newspaper reports, a notification issued by your government shows, “They (parliamentary secretaries) may use government transport for official purposes and office space in the minister's office would be provided to them to facilitate their work”.
Isn’t that a contradiction of your claims?
Your transport minister Gopal Rai has stepped down citing poor health. But the truth behind his resignation is well known. There are serious charges of corruption against him in the purchase of App-based buses.
Now what do you have to say?
Blaming others, putting allegations against your opponents or against those who disagree with you is not a good sign and leads to an unhealthy politics.
By claiming “Yes, I’m an anarchist”, doesn’t put you at par with some of our most revered freedom fighters such as Bhagat Singh or say, Subhas Chandra Bose!
In times to come, history will not remember you as an “anarchist” how hard you try, but as a liar, fraud and dishonest — who cheated his voters. It’ll be very painful for the people like us – nameless, faceless Indians – the ultimate common men on street who believed that you can be truly agent of change.
Such double speak is detrimental not only to you and your party, but also to ‘we’ as a nation and spirit of millions of people who believed that the system can be changed.
Yours
A Nameless Indian
(The opinion expressed in this column is solely that of the writer – Nameless Indian)
