news details |
|
|
| From Aam Aadmi to khaas aadmi | | | Shobhaa's Take | 3/10/2015 11:23:47 PM |
| The AAP stood for hope. And change. It had become a
powerful symbol that provided people the much needed
belief in ethical leadership. If Mr Kejriwal shatters that belief, this quickly… this easily… it will be a monumental shame.
Yogendra Yadav resembles a tragic Shakes-pearian actor, waiting in the wings, as a hopeful understudy to the lead actor - in this case, the rather odd Arvind Kejriwal. Prashant Bhushan looks plain nutty. Both these big boys have been sent marching by the Aam Aadmi Party bossman, who himself has taken off for a mysterious Naturopathy break in Bengaluru. Mr Yadav speaks in such theatrical tones, I always expect to see a painted backdrop of Roman ruins behind him. Greek tragedy also enters the picture at some point… you are warned… this is going to get seriously bizarre! And let me throw in the Mahabharat while I am at it! Mr Kejriwal seems to fancy himself as Krishna. But as of now, he has just lost his Arjuna. And something major seems to have derailed his master plan for Delhi… himself… India. Even Mr Kejriwal's die-hard fans are lamenting, "What happened to our hero? Where is the aam aadmi we voted for? Who do we look up to now that Arvind and his band of not-so-merry men have as good as self-destructed?"
People call the AAP chief a megalomaniac and worse. I am not sure that's an apt description. Mr Kejriwal, in local lingo, appears "chakkram" - an eccentric. His heart is in the right place. His brain ticks away impressively. And then, all of a sudden, he skids off the rails, does something crazy, and takes his most ardent supporters by surprise. Before Mr Kejriwal could properly warm his kursi/gaddi in Delhi, he made some weird, inexplicable boo-boos that have baffled AAP-watchers. There is an open revolt within the party, led by Mr Yadav and Mr Bhushan, who have been singing like canaries and dissing their former leader from every available platform after the political action committee (PAC) vote that ousted them.
The luscious Shazia Ilmi (now with the Bharatiya Janata Party) has not spared him, either. And Kiran Bedi (BJP) did a pretty good demolition job on the man for whom she had performed the infamous ghungat dance on stage not so long ago. That's politics. We get it. Defectors and turncoats define the nature of this profession. But nobody is able to get Mr Kejriwal! Nobody. What's wrong with the guy?
From aam aadmi to khaas aadmi - it didn't take Mr Kejriwal too long, to become like one of "them". The notorious Dilli ki hawa got to him, too! The man we see these days, zipping around India in an impressive cavalcade of 15 cars, the man who skips paying a paltry Rs 115 as toll tax in Bengaluru, the man who waits for his flight in a VIP lounge, while minions scramble around, to make sure he's comfortable… heck! This ain't the fellow people voted for! This man is just another, garden variety political bloke from the capital, throwing his weight around like the rest. The Delhi disease is contagious. It is called VVIP-itis. Mr Kejriwal is clearly infected by it. And like several other patients struck down by the Delhi bug, he is in no hurry to be treated. What happens to the AAP now? Political watchers are talking about the "conspiracy to oust Mr Kejriwal from the post of national convenor". When 11 people voted to drop Mr Yadav and Mr Bhushan from the PAC (AAP's top decision-making body), the math didn't add up. The entire process was roundly mocked by members of the Congress Party, who wondered whether the two defeated men had cast votes against themselves! And what did Mr Kejriwal say or do in the wake of such a dramatic turn of events? Precisely nothing! He took off on that naturopathy break to Bengaluru and even this trip was shrouded in mystery. Nobody knows for sure what he requires treatment for - a chronic bronchial condition? Diabetes? Something else? His health appears far from robust, which causes concern within the party. Since Mr Kejriwal has successfully transformed the AAP into a one-man show, what happens when he's away on medical grounds? Who's in charge? Who calls the shots? No answers so far. With the exit of his two, most high-profile team members, the AAP is likely to drift. The self-styled anarchist-disrupter will find the going tough in Delhi. But far worse than that, his whimsical behaviour is bound to disillusion those who had backed him unconditionally and whole-heartedly - the voters. After this latest fiasco, people are taking bets on Mr Kejriwal's tenure as chief minister - it lasted for 49 days the last time around. What will it be this time? During his spirited campaign he had assured his fans he would stay put, joking that he was ready to cover his chair with Fevicol (the well-known adhesive brand), if need be. People believed him. The thing is, by this point, it had ceased to be about Mr Kejriwal. The AAP had become something far bigger than an individual.
It had been converted into a movement. The AAP stood for hope. And change. It had become a powerful symbol that provided people the much-needed belief in ethical leadership. If Mr Kejriwal shatters that belief, this quickly… this easily… it will be a monumental shame. It took more than 60 years for an inspiring neta to emerge on the national political scene. Mr Kejriwal was seen as that messiah. Today, he appears like any other pedestrian politician, drunk on his own personal power, indifferent to the very people who voted for him.
"We shouldn't be arrogant about our success," commented an AAP member after the PAC imbroglio.
I guess that comment didn't include Kejriwal.
( [email protected]) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
