It is very rare that in the books of history you find someone who is both a protester and a successful administrator of societies. It is rather easier to protest and oppose than take upon oneself the silent responsibility of social governance. .
I am talking about the Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) and its reigning high priest, Arvind Kejriwal. His chronically hoarse throat amply suggests what he is good at and where he should draw the line upon his personal ambitions. At the first instance of accepting power, he ran away into wilderness within 49 days, disowning publicly the responsibilities he fought for and secured. And now within a month of occupying the office, he has made this shocking decision of not holding any portfolio, besides running away for 2 weeks into a naturopathy centre for rest and relaxation. He is the only administrator in the world who has this luxury of an office without responsibility and a leave of absence of 2 weeks within the 4 weeks of securing a job.
The opportunism and irresponsibility of the AAP starts from its high priest and trickles down through his coterie to every part of its organizational set-up. As a first step of establishing internal unaccountability, chaos and anarchy, AAP has easily done away with its own conscience keepers like Prashanth Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav. Mayank Gandhi is also now on his way out. The internal coterie of Kejriwal will now consist of those voices that are brash, anti-social and anti-development like that of Medha Patkar, Ashish Khetan and the like. The 70 point programme promised in the Manifesto has become an orphan and the second in command Manish Sisodia is clueless of how to implement it. The office bearers of AAP, including the topline leaders are engaged in securing for themselves the luxury of escort, VVIP status, bungalows and all those privileges that they raised their voice against.
Delhi has to brace up itself for a tough time of anarchy that is lurking around the corner. A couple of journalists and poets have taken over the Government without a clue as to how to govern and how to manage the high offices in democracy. Come summer, power cuts and water shortages will galore. Come rains, the floods will devastate the capital. Kejriwal will remain unattached and unbound by any portfolio of office in his ploy to remain a high priest and holy cow of politics. The thinkers and ideologues will remain increasingly marginalized. The loud speaking coterie will rule recklessly and ruin the city.
But unfortunately, the people are bound to this unfolding and agonizing aalaap of anarchy for the next five years in Delhi.
V K Saxena
National Council for Civil Liberties,
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
