As Aam Aadmi Party wins a 3rd term in the Delhi elections this year, a question of vitality comes into the limelight.
Can Arvind Kejriwal, present Chief Minister of Delhi, be the next Prime Minister of India?
Arvind Kejriwal, the present Chief Minister of Delhi, belongs to Aam Aadmi Party. He resembles the ordinary educated middle-class man and has demonstrated ‘Servant Leadership’.
The most crucial factor for development in Delhi is that Kejriwal and AAP have been listening to the voice of the voters and have tried their best to bring their promises to reality. He has become an approachable leader for the residents of Delhi by constantly being in touch with the ordinary citizen.
Another fact which has lifted the image of Arvind Kejriwal has been his past achievements. Being an IIT graduate, IRS background and a leader of India Against Corruption movement, he got a chance to be trusted by the ordinary man.
Being a highly educated man, he has made significant improvement in education level and facilities in Delhi.
Some of the most notable efforts made by AAP in the field of education are, building of the foundation of an ‘Education Revolution’, empowerment of School Management Committees (SMCs) through parental involvement, and a Nursery Class Programme to make “sarvagun sampann professionals and human beings who could serve the society with happiness.” The teachers and school leaders were given opportunities to learn from some of the most prestigious universities across the world, including University of Cambridge and University of Harvard.
Most significant achievement in the sector of education has been his ability to keep a check on private school fees.
In the field of healthcare, AAP initiated the concept of ‘Mohalla Clinics’ aiming to provide basic health services to underserved population in urban areas. Arvind Kejriwal also laid down the foundation of a hospital in the village of Sirspur, which will be “accommodating 1,164 beds in the first phase and 1,500 beds will be added later”.
Under the sector of electricity, total domestic electricity consumers in Delhi have been improving significantly, owing to the fact that Delhi’s tariff is the cheapest among all large cities of India. Delhi Solar Policy, initiated in 2016, aims to make Delhi a ‘Solar City’ through generation of 1,000 megawatt of power by 2020 and taking it further to 2,000 MW by 2025.
Numerous events of success in various fields have led people to believe that Arvind Kejriwal might go ahead to be a Prime Ministerial candidate in the 2024 elections.
Yet, Kejriwal’s silence on the issue of Delhi violence in 2020, has added a question mark to this belief.
Why has a man like him, who has claimed himself as “Janta ka CM, Delhi ka Beta”’ turned his face away from this burning issue? Why has he not taken any stance or any necessary action?
Evidently, the party still lacks an ideological clarity and this is making people question their own belief. Those who were so confident of Kejriwal’s leadership before the election this year, are doubting their decisions.
During his victory speech, he told people to call up their villages and say, “Hamara beta CM ban gaya dobara, chinta ki koi baat nahi hai”.
But, today as the citizens of Delhi feel cheated, their ‘no worry’ smiles on 11th February, have turned into ‘don’t lose hope’ smiles, all that confidence has turned into hope and only time can tell if Kejriwal can really be the next Prime Ministerial candidate.