When the Anna Hazare movement “India against corruption” led to the formation of the Aam Aadmi Party in 2012, the current chief minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, became known as the messiah of anti-corruption. He also became the face of liberals in India. After more than a decade, Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party are now facing multiple corruption charges.
The Central Bureau of Investigation has recently detained Manish Sisodia, the now-former deputy chief minister, in connection with alleged financial irregularities in the now-abandoned Delhi excise policy. The Enforcement Directorate has also taken the senior AAP leader into custody. Within 72 hours of this arrest, Sisodia and another jailed Aam Aadmi Party cabinet minister, Satyendar Jain, resigned. This occurred at a time when the Aam Aadmi Party had recently become a national party and was actively pursuing national expansion. Arvind Kejriwal has already done a cabinet reshuffle, bringing in two new faces.
However, for the Aam Aadmi Party, the chief minister of Delhi will be more concerned with managing the Delhi government than with the national expansion plan.
Significance of Delhi Model
Delhi's former education minister, Manish Sisodia, conceived of the idea to alter the educational system in the nation's capital. The condition of the schools was poor, and the Aam Aadmi Party administration had no responsibility for law and order or other significant issues in the state. In this context, Sisodia and Atishi, who will be inducted into the Delhi government as a minister, devised a plan to reform the education system in the nation's capital. The fact that Delhi is the capital of India attracted media attention, and the Kejriwal model of governance began to take shape.
Arvind Kejriwal ensured that the concept of the Mohalla clinic, which was the brainchild of jailed leader and former health minister Satyendar Jain, remained central to the Delhi model of government. Kejriwal then took a number of populist measures, including providing free electricity to 300 units, free water, and free bus travel for women, among others. Manish Sisodia was the main pillar of the Delhi administration, handling 18 of the 33 portfolios expected of a Deputy Chief Minister.
The Aam Aadmi Party's first target after Delhi was Punjab, and Arvind Kejriwal's key election platform was the Delhi model of governance. However, once the Punjab government was established, the party rushed into the Gujarat election. Since then, little improvement has been made to the Delhi model of government. After the upcoming budget session, which will likely occur in mid-March, it was anticipated that the Delhi government's work would accelerate. Not only was Sisodia the most powerful individual in the Delhi government and the education department, but he was also the initial driving force behind the AAP government's budget.
Actual Crisis
The management of the Delhi government is currently Arvind Kejriwal's greatest challenge. Despite the appointment of two new ministers, Atishi and Saurabh Bhardwaj, Delhi's most pressing problem will persist. The Aam Aadmi Party has a poor rapport with the lieutenant governor of Delhi, and the power structures of the nation's capital are distinct from those of other states. Here, the LG has administrative control. Despite interference from the LG, both Sisodia and Jain knew how to get the job done with the help of the officials. In this regard, the new ministers will face difficulties. It is also important to note that Arvind Kejriwal has never held a portfolio in the Delhi government, and it was imperative that he take on the finance portfolio this time around.
Amid this crisis, Kejriwal should have assumed control of the Delhi government. Having Kejriwal manage the day-to-day operations of the Delhi government during a crisis would have boosted the confidence of both the new and the old ministers. The appointment of two new ministers in the government will not provide the AAP with much assistance.
Image Makeover Attempt
The resignation of Sisodia and Jain is an effort to improve the organisation's image. However, there are a number of questions, such as why it took Jain over nine months to submit his resignation while Sisodia only required 72 hours. The real issue is that the BJP is attacking the Aam Aadmi Party. The political party cannot afford repeated assaults on its anti-corruption credibility. A number of corruption charges are being brought against AAP leaders and ministers from Punjab to Delhi. Arvind Kejriwal maintained his position that it was a vendetta and that Sisodia and Jain were both innocent.
But the party is facing some important questions, and Kejriwal knows that the AAP will have trouble answering many of them in the future. There is also another case pending against Sisodia. The case involves the use of a snooping unit within the government of Delhi to track several leaders. The Aam Aadmi Party does not feel comfortable with the questions regarding their credibility, transparency, and anti-corruption stance. Arvind Kejriwal's unexpected decision to remove Jain and Sisodia reveals panic within the party. However, this will help the AAP counter the BJP's concerns regarding the retention of ministers who have been accused of corruption.
From CBI to ED, the arrest saga of Sisodia will cause havoc for AAP. There should not be any doubt that the electorate is never interested in whether some party is doing injustice to others or not. Politically, Arvind Kejriwal is undoubtedly under enormous pressure. However, AAP's recovery from this situation is not impossible. Numerous individuals in India have been accused of corruption, only to be exonerated and resume their political careers.
The AAP is a young party with a promising political future. But now is a good time for Kejriwal to assess the position of his party. The fundamental position of a political party cannot be populism, confrontation, or the victim card. The need of the hour is a strong organisation, a decentralisation of power that is real and not just on paper, and the moderation of ambitions. Significantly, many opposition parties, with the exception of the Congress, have sided with the AAP; this could be a golden opportunity for Kejriwal.
(The writer is a doctoral research scholar in media and politics. He tweets @sayantan_gh. Views expressed in this article are personal)
