Arvind Kejriwal, the designated chief minister of Delhi is no doubt the political star of India at the moment. Also, to many random citizens he is the ideal person to head a government as corroborated by the ‘referendum’ conducted by the party. The AAP is on verge of what it claims to ‘providing an alternative politics’ which will cater to the wishes of the majority of the people. Through his past records of sheer dedication to public service, Arvind has built a strong public faith on his presentation of an administration that will shift from the past. The 45-year-old IIT alumni is agreed by many to be a man of huge credibility, characteristically sacrificial and immensely popular. He forsake a career with the Indian Revenue Service to embark on a career as an anti-corruption campaigner in 2001 and make significant contribution to bringing in the Right to Information Act in 2005 before being awarded the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2006.
However, Arvind’s decision to enter politics had resulted in opposition from many quarters after being in the shadow of Anna Hazare during the campaign for creation of a national ombudsman on investigation of venality among elected representatives and bureaucrats. Anna under whose association he grew, in fact did not mention the contribution of Arvind in his victory speech after the Lokpal Bill was passed by the Parliament recently. Whatever, Arvind’s supporters asserted that his decision to depart from the general understanding to keep the campaign apolitical will in the long run bear an effect not just on his personal aspiration but the faith of millions of Indians.
Agreed, Kejriwal transformed an anti-corruption drive into a political front in just couple of years. But, he had wholeheartedly supported the view that political parties are the epitome of corruption and that political parties claiming to have a clean images is implausible. From there begin the contradictions of the Aam Admi Party. By finding a way to justify taking the Congress’s support and making a U-turn from its stated position of “not giving and not taking support of BJP and Congress,’ has not the AAP made itself an easy target? And has not the AAP justified a volte face to its commitments of alternative politics dictated by idealism and embrace political opportunism? To mark an honest beginning to heading a government and carrying on its pre-poll commitment to idealism, it needed to at least retract its public commitment of keeping itself at bay from the Congress Party. But after the AAP decided to form the government with Congress support without reflecting on its earlier stand, the future will be decide whether it is the beginning of the alternative politics or the end of it.