Be it the
lofty or somewhat unrealistic Swaraj promises on which the Aam Admi
Party was founded, the promise to provide an alternate mode of politics,
or his repeated appeals to the people of the country to use their
mobile phones as weapons to conduct sting operations, seem to have all
backfired on him.
The highly publicised implosion within AAP has been happening at a time when Kejriwal should ideally have been relishing his glorious advancement to power and the national political scene.
Ahead of the National Council meeting, AAP's national convener and de-facto supremo appears to be a distressed man.
Either he has to hunt down the likes of Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav and Prof Anand Kumar or else be ready to be hounded by them. The situation couldn't be more ironic. Until about a month-and-half ago they were all one team, with the Bhushans, Yadav and Kumar considered the mature voices and conscience keepers of the party, while Kejriwal was the brilliant organiser and public speaker.
It's a sad commentary on the state of affairs in AAP that their first National Council meeting, held after a more than thumping Panch Saal Kejriwal victory, is happening in an atmosphere of trust deficit, despondency and uncertainty.
In any other party this would have been an occasion to celebrate and draw out a road map for consolidation and expansion. Instead, it has taken place amid scenes of drama, with Yadav first holding a dharna because some council members were denied entry, and then storming out and alleging that they were subjected to physical violence.
The fratricidal feud in AAP has yet again established that politics is a ruthless game. But never before, at least since the Janata Party times in 1977, it has been played out so relentlessly and so publicly. Beyond that the two situations are not comparable.
Kejriwal, the popular hero and Delhi chief minister has suddenly landed in a situation where the negative streaks of his personality as a politician are threatening to outweigh the positives.
The AAP chief will have the distinction of being stung on most number of times by his own party colleagues at successive intervals.
The latest sting expose against him portrays him in poor light, where he sounds agitated and highly abusive, using Hindi words like Kamine, Kaminapanthi, Kanine Number One, Dil Ke Kale, Saale to describe colleagues like Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav and Prof Anand Kumar.
The combined effect of all these stings and dissenting voices of some of the current and former party leaders have been very adverse to Kejriwal - they have shown that he is not what he appears to be. It now looks as though he is very different to his public persona - that of a humble, sincere, smiling and friendly.
The tapes and public narration by Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav have also punched holes in this public image, and have helped to paint Kejriwal as Machiavellian. The picture they have drawn of him is that of a man who is hugely dictatorial in his command and has acquired all the virtues of a quintessential Indian politician.
In other words, Kejriwal has turned out to be just another successful Indian politician - scheming, manipulating, manoeuvring and ruthlessly dumping any potential challenge to reign supreme. There is nothing different, fresh, or new about him, and all his talk of Imandar Rajnity (honest politics) is only pretentious. AAP is not there to provide an alternate course of politics. It is yet another party jostling for power.
Bhushan and Yadav have given him a much tougher fight than he would have expected. The duo proved that they have sufficient retaliatory fire power. They have not lost their composure and talked like usurpers in the power game.
Arvind Kejriwal and his loyalists should not underestimate them. This is the mistake they have made so far. After an-hour-and-half long press conference on Friday, the duo, Bhushan and Yadav have been successful in conveying a message to the public at large and sections of Aam Admi Party volunteers on two most important issues that is at the centre of latest round of controversy and what unofficially constitute the prime agenda for Saturday's National Council meeting - the two never submitted any resignation letter and second, they have not asked for removal of Kejriwal as National Convener of AAP.
In the process they torpedoed Kejriwal loyalists move to turn this fight for control over the party into an emotive one.
Both Bhushan and Yadav are now playing the victim card, showing that the heart and soul of the party is being trampled on by the vices of Kejriwal's power politics.
The highly publicised implosion within AAP has been happening at a time when Kejriwal should ideally have been relishing his glorious advancement to power and the national political scene.
Ahead of the National Council meeting, AAP's national convener and de-facto supremo appears to be a distressed man.
Either he has to hunt down the likes of Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav and Prof Anand Kumar or else be ready to be hounded by them. The situation couldn't be more ironic. Until about a month-and-half ago they were all one team, with the Bhushans, Yadav and Kumar considered the mature voices and conscience keepers of the party, while Kejriwal was the brilliant organiser and public speaker.
It's a sad commentary on the state of affairs in AAP that their first National Council meeting, held after a more than thumping Panch Saal Kejriwal victory, is happening in an atmosphere of trust deficit, despondency and uncertainty.
In any other party this would have been an occasion to celebrate and draw out a road map for consolidation and expansion. Instead, it has taken place amid scenes of drama, with Yadav first holding a dharna because some council members were denied entry, and then storming out and alleging that they were subjected to physical violence.
The fratricidal feud in AAP has yet again established that politics is a ruthless game. But never before, at least since the Janata Party times in 1977, it has been played out so relentlessly and so publicly. Beyond that the two situations are not comparable.
Kejriwal, the popular hero and Delhi chief minister has suddenly landed in a situation where the negative streaks of his personality as a politician are threatening to outweigh the positives.
The AAP chief will have the distinction of being stung on most number of times by his own party colleagues at successive intervals.
The latest sting expose against him portrays him in poor light, where he sounds agitated and highly abusive, using Hindi words like Kamine, Kaminapanthi, Kanine Number One, Dil Ke Kale, Saale to describe colleagues like Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav and Prof Anand Kumar.
The combined effect of all these stings and dissenting voices of some of the current and former party leaders have been very adverse to Kejriwal - they have shown that he is not what he appears to be. It now looks as though he is very different to his public persona - that of a humble, sincere, smiling and friendly.
The tapes and public narration by Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav have also punched holes in this public image, and have helped to paint Kejriwal as Machiavellian. The picture they have drawn of him is that of a man who is hugely dictatorial in his command and has acquired all the virtues of a quintessential Indian politician.
In other words, Kejriwal has turned out to be just another successful Indian politician - scheming, manipulating, manoeuvring and ruthlessly dumping any potential challenge to reign supreme. There is nothing different, fresh, or new about him, and all his talk of Imandar Rajnity (honest politics) is only pretentious. AAP is not there to provide an alternate course of politics. It is yet another party jostling for power.
Bhushan and Yadav have given him a much tougher fight than he would have expected. The duo proved that they have sufficient retaliatory fire power. They have not lost their composure and talked like usurpers in the power game.
Arvind Kejriwal and his loyalists should not underestimate them. This is the mistake they have made so far. After an-hour-and-half long press conference on Friday, the duo, Bhushan and Yadav have been successful in conveying a message to the public at large and sections of Aam Admi Party volunteers on two most important issues that is at the centre of latest round of controversy and what unofficially constitute the prime agenda for Saturday's National Council meeting - the two never submitted any resignation letter and second, they have not asked for removal of Kejriwal as National Convener of AAP.
In the process they torpedoed Kejriwal loyalists move to turn this fight for control over the party into an emotive one.
Both Bhushan and Yadav are now playing the victim card, showing that the heart and soul of the party is being trampled on by the vices of Kejriwal's power politics.
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