By Anupam:
I don’t know whether Kapil Mishra’s allegations against Arvind Kejriwal and company are true or false. Mishra had alleged that he saw Kejriwal receive ₹2 crore in cash from AAP leader Satyender Jain at his residence and that Jain had settled a ₹50 crore deal for the chief minister’s brother-in-law, Surender Kumar Bansal. In fact, I do not trust either of the parties, be it the Kumar Vishwas-Kapil Mishra duo, or the Arvind Kejriwal-Manish Sisodia gang, when it comes to being truthful or honest. I’ve seen all of them closely enough. However, these allegations are surely very serious and demand an immediate and independent enquiry.
For those who may be drawing parallels (of these developments) to our exit, I would like to point out something important. When we had raised concerns on values, ethics and principles in the AAP, it was at the peak of its power. The party was at its highest in April 2015, right after the historic mandate of the Delhi assembly elections. As is usually the practice, we could easily have remained silent, towed the line of the supreme leader and got a big pie of power in return. But we didn’t compromise with our ideals and the spirit of the movement. When it came to choosing between power and principles, we chose the latter.
But today, it is an altogether different situation and scenario. The Aam Aadmi Party is a sinking ship where Kejriwal has lost some of his natural authority to lead the lot. And the battle we are witnessing is a naked power battle for a sinking ship, at a time when the captain is vulnerable, down and almost out.
What is happening within the Aam Aadmi Party is a natural corollary to its misdeeds and misadventures over the last two years. A party founded to take on and change the existing political culture was unfortunately reduced by Kejriwal to a mechanical election machine in his sheer lust for power. And when winning at all costs, even at the cost of your values, morality and core principles becomes your guiding light, it is always a death knell.
Because when you win, it’s okay. But when you lose, you have lost the plot and you are left with nothing. Nothing to communicate to your voters. Nothing to motivate your cadre, workers and sympathisers.
This is precisely what is happening within the party, this is precisely why the party is exploding. And Arvind Kejriwal has no trace of idealism or moral strength left in him today, in order to keep his flock together.
The writer is chief spokesperson & national presidium member, Swaraj India.