Why people love to hate Kejriwal?

A lot has been changed since 2012. At least for Arvind Kejriwal.

He was termed as a wave, even before I knew about 'wave' from my 66 year old father to which he told me back then; it is something like when Indira Gandhi Juggernaut stormed parliament with 352 Lok Sabha seats in year 1971; a wave that swept almost everything. 

Fast forward 2011, like my many friends I also, headed to Aazad Maidan Mumbai on 09 Aug, to express my solidarity with Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal, in a hope of getting rid of rusting and smearing gutter of Indian political system. What a charismatic Arvind Kejriwal appeared to us back then!!

His tiny stature, oversized and offcoloured shirt and profusely sweating forehead were enough to convince me. I immediately found myself connected with 'this man'. He won us hands down. I found my hero perhaps and naive I was that I thought; finally India will be liberated from corruption. Period. The idea has arrived; only the implementation was the leftover part.

Alas..had that been so easy! Alas had he been so!

I quote above Arvind Kejriwal 'this man' because that is where my answer lies beneath why Arvind Kejriwal failed.

The appeal of Kejriwal was so immense; it was so huge and so overpowering.  The aura appeared never lasting. Who could have thought back then; the guy will rigorously tested by mind blowing slaps, zooming past shoes and indelible ink? The journey doesn't end here, still. He keeps on getting one or two meanwhile.

He is now one of the most hated individual entity in Indian political scenario and his journey from summit to nadir has been swift and in a relatively very short period of time. Even, Tiger Woods would be astonished on his fall.

To me, the reason why people love to hate Kejriwal is not because most of the people are Modi followers as on date. Narendra Modi is an extraordinary leader and politician. He is the movers and shakers of the real politics from his student days. He is a fox, kind of super grand master of squared game of power, always one step ahead from rest of the pack, deceptive, accurate and precise.

A office goer, a daily wager, a mother or a shopkeeper doesn't understand the complex and boring political equations of the mix of Indian casteism, nationalism or religious alignment. They want to find the immediate connectivity with; be a man or an issue. We have seen that; people going to ‘Jantar Mantar’ on corruption with Anna, seen millions of people on roads across the cities and towns post 26/11 carnage, witnessed ‘Gherao’ on ‘Nirbhaya’. People are basically emotional and  Modi understands the nerve of the people like a seasoned doctor.

Kejriwal has never been a match to the acumenship of  Narendra Modi. Rather; he was just a manifestation of the anger of the masses against the rampant corruption of Congress raj which was storming whole country with progressive massive buildups on one corruption on daily basis.

May be he didn’t understand the subject much  but his approach at that point of time against a very sensitive issue to the core of the heart of ‘Aam Aadmi’ was  extremely well timed. He was relatively smarter in manipulating the emotions of the people and some socially well accepted names. His crusade against corruption was so impeccable that his aura appeared something out of the standard political and social norms in contemporary politicians and even well-established czars of politics found  themselves in hot water. Suddenly, he became the echo of the voice of almost every heart of the country, something which Narendra Modi will also taste 2 years later sweeping the general elections through a complete one man show.

 What an opportunity this man Arvind Kejariwal had then to turn himself into a real messiah!  But it wasn't there. Perhaps it hadn't to be there.

Then Delhi elections happened and from here is when Kejriwal started to commit blunders after mistakes.

In the past he had told people that he was an ordinary guy amongst us, like us. People did not believe him because an ordinary man never crusades against the system. We believe he has to be above us like a Mahatma Gandhi or a Martin Luther King or a Nelson Mandela.  Ironically, he actually was a common guy. Like all of us, impulsive, greedy, foul mouthed, scrounger with no vision and accusing 0like a child everything, everyone but other than he, himself.

It takes a lot of endurance and efforts to carry forward on your image and sometimes it takes years and it becomes even more difficult when you discover; you are a celebrity overnight. You have to look carefully for what you say and how you say so. That is why you see no authority speak in a haste. That is understood, they chew every sentence, word by word.

Unfortunately, Arvind Kejriwal turned out to be a hoax call. A big zero and a megalomaniac. His modus operandi turned into plain 'his way or high way' and it was happening in broad day light for everyone to see. He is corrupt, he is opportunist and he is cunning. At least that was something a message gone well deep to the very people who believed in him, including mine. The cracks started to appear in the spotless image of the crusader and irritation started to build up.

But this was not new in our political system. It happened previously also. Indira Gandhi was example; equally corrupt and megalomaniac. Even some of his contemporaries are like him even today. Jayalalithaa, Mamta Banerjee, Vasundhara Raje Sindhiya, Nitish Kumar, Akhilesh Yadav to name a few. So why witch-hunting only against him? Why people bully Kejriwal so much, so often than any corrupt or unpopular leader?

Answer is the frustration of the people with themselves for making a wrong choice back then. They expected every damn thing from every politician but Kejriwal. Their hate to Kejriwal is the outcome of their failed desire of a corruption-free India where the bride ran away even before marriage could be culminated. They considered him pure and clean.

Kejriwal disappointed them with his senseless decisions. He turned himself in these years as a joke even though he was given the benefit of doubt for being him a new comer; incident after incidents. He did not mend the way and even today, it is an anger within self how this fool could fooled us in the name of a 'change' and reached to the Chief ministership of Delhi. In a sense, the anger and hate is the reflection of defeat that Kejriwal could 'con' public at large and it really vents out in his abhorrence.

Alas he could have sensed what the artifacts were stored for him along the journey had he taken right steps and of course; in right direction. He could have done the real 'Modi' even before Narendra Modi actually arrived in Delhi. He could have had a mass followings had he carried himself carefully and judicially.

Once Modi was in the helm of affairs in the power corridors of Lutyens zone, Kejriwal lost the cause and zeal entirely and became true to himself; a complaint box and like any other politician. He got disoriented damaging further to himself only; by a futile battle against an ever enlarging Narendra Modi. He has become a butt of joke where people will find it amusing if Kejriwal missed any day cursing Modi and Modi staying a well calculated; completely ignorant.

People did not wait for him. Most of them have found a new hero in Modi. This further turned out to be a supplementary cause to hate him to the core by the people who are known as 'Bhakts'; last I knew.

What a lost opportunity Mr. Arvind Kejriwal...!!

Aam Aadmi Party: What went wrong Mr. Kejriwal?

Modi..Modi ..Modi..Modi..

The fanatic chorus of this word is hardly willing to die; at least temporarily. For someone it is magic, for someone it is irritation but this word always creates a furor always; God know why Modi has become larger than life entity! Come what may, the man has been rightly awarded for the collective efforts of RSS cadre, BJP workers and his own efforts and salute we must.

Sulking are the Congress, BSP, SP, NCP, AGP, JDU and the line grows bigger. But I will talk here just about the man Arvind kejriwal and his mission AAP! Why? Read below.

Before these elections, there were few people who believed that Mr. Kejriwal was the best alternative option for both Congress and BJP. Angry against the massive corruption of UPA; and BJP not in good book; they argued that should both the parties turn rogue, Arvind kejriwal was a ray of hope for the people of this country.

And today when the elections are over and for last few months have been passed with heated discussion on social sites where I vigorously defended why Narendra Modi led NDA should come to the power; I am more than happy. Not just that the anointed is going to be appointed as PM but for two other reasons as well:

1.   The Congress has been shown the mirror for what has it done to the country.

2.    The dissemination of much hyped Aam Aadmi Party which has somehow lost the actual plot it was initially created for and in true sense; misguiding the people.

However despite this, deep in my thoughts, I have a feeling like millions out there; that AAP has always good intentions for country and they must be continued to be live on for some more trial despite their crushing defeat in the Modi wave. The scope of  my intentions is here to analyse why once a meteoric rised party is grounded so soon and can they bounce back in near future?

Any organisation largely depends upon who is leading it from the front. Who is the face the organisation can cash on? Further, the numbers of these types of people in it is equally important. It reflects the capability of the organisation to face the tough challenges in coming times. Secondly, it is equally important what the organisational structure of the party is. It shows how much the party or the organisation has the regards for the hierarchical values to run successfully the party. Thirdly, what are the policies of the party in respect to national and international issues depending upon the party’s ambitions to be a regional player or a party like BJP or Congress.

I remember the month of Dec 2013 when there was an euphoria all around Mr. Arvind Kejriwal. The sound was so deafening that even the AAP could not  perhaps listen to the people who, as well wishers; tried to warn Kejriwal and party to keep their heads firmly over the shoulders and unheard rightly so, the same euphoria soon turned into nightmare when the expectations of people Delhi rocketed so sky-high that once Kejriwal was forced to abandon the ‘Janta Darbar’ midway to save his life. What a piece of poor planning it was? The leaders of AAP were at the verge of being mobbed as the media reported later in the evening. It was really a narrow escape. Still hopeful  the people were from AAP, though in backdrop, there was a little buried sense that why Anna, Ramdev, Kiranbedi, Gen VK Singh, Justice hegde and other people started to quit the movement and later Aam Aadmi party one by one.

Post elections in Delhi assembly, the way other leader of AAP created the ruckus on roads day and night,  and Kejriwal himself as a CM, it was realised/appeared that Arvind Kejriwal is the kind of guy who will tell me what is the problem but who is the one who would like to remain confined to the problematic side of problems not with the solution. Watching a chief minister on ‘dharna’ on the roads of Delhi was painful and it was a symbolic gesture of his values he had for the constitutional bodies of India. What was scored, Kejiwal and AAP know better but the writing has suddenly started to be visible on the wall.

Later it appeared, they did not learn from the mistake, I will use ‘he’ for ‘they’ because the image of party reflected that party was Arvind Kejriwal and Arvind Kejriwal was the party.  Mostly, he appeared like a college going student who goes for the annual college secretary election overzealously with big dreams in eyes. But this is not how the result are achieved because your tend to pedal your accelerator for quick rich scheme in achieving the results and unfortunately, this type of politics ends nowhere and impresses only few. AAP was behaving strange.

Qutting the CM on the concern of his failure to provide an effective ‘Janlokpal’ for the people of Delhi was something on which, he horribly went wrong. He tried his best wit to portraying  himself as a political martyred from that window waving his resignation and going on the record to say that ‘Aisee 100 CM kursiyan Kurbaan hain’. What an approach!! Had he said with modesty that he does not find himself suitable for the honourable chair of CM of Delhi for his failure in bringing ‘Janlokpal’; the message would have been altogether different. It is not just in politics; it is in every wake of life, that you should learn how to say what and when, at least in politics! Anyway by that time, the aam aadmi of country had become smart if not the ‘Aam Aadmi Party’, courtesy the mischiefs of Mr. Keriwal and party. The previous day’s darling media suddenly appeared ‘Bikaaoo’for him and later paid the price!

As an income tax department officer, his credentials were found below expectations. Had there been good record of his service in IT department, the story might have taken different turn. The collective message from the press statement of income tax department, interviews of his colleagues, being paid for the period he did not work, went viral and Arvind Kejriwal seemed scrounger to the core and the one who will go haywire when under pressure.

The biggest mistake of his life was that he took on Narendra Modi at personal level. It was one sided bad blood vendetta by Kejiwal. He did not bother what the mandate of even the people of Delhi was for him; when they would shout in his well packed gatherings with slogans ‘Kejriwal for CM..Modi for PM’. It was a crystal clear message for him back then that he should continue to build up in Delhi because the country fully knew, he was neither matured for the post of PM not well equipped to run a large country or organisation; leave aside to take on BJP or Congress.  He again went wrong when he appeared in very hurry to prove that nothing was right in Gujarat. It was hard to believe him that why, all of sudden for Mr. kejriwal, Gujarat became so important. More than focusing on the problems in Gujarat, he focused on the media to rely the news of Gujarat not doing well, round the clock. Remember his political stint when he on a broad daylight, out of nowhere, without any appointment, decided to meet the CM of Gujarat? God; where did his public consensus concept go then, which he used to repeat in his every second line in Delhi assembly elections?  Then, in Bangalore where on the first day, he found saying to ‘ask people of Varanasi for his candidature in Loksabha elections from Varanasi’ and the very next day in same Bangalore he said that he will contest elections from Varanasi and the consensus of people of Varanasi was no more required.

His approach for elections in Varanasi was pathetically negative. He was never there for his win rather he was there to ensure that the man, whom the mandate of people was for prime minister of this country, should loose. Wearing a cap of something written in Urdu for muslim appeasement, was the same old political gimmick other parties do. But this was never expected from the party which emphasised on the comman man who mostly stays neutralized from religion in day to day life and AAP was supposed to be above these cheap tricks. What a decision it was Mr. kejriwal, just to make someone loose? Playing poor pranks that ‘he was just a fakir’ was just not a good strategy considering that few days back you had submitted your affidavit of properties worth in crores. People do have short memories agreed, but not this shorter.

Honestly, in nutshell of all these build ups during entire campaign, Kejriwal appeared an individual confused and an immature person. He reflected an impulsive character. Such people are not very much suitable for the post of even an officer; PM or CM are from entirely a different league. Stability of mind is the key for decision making and Mr. Kejriwal so far went wrong in most of the decisions.

If I talk about the number of visionary people of the party, AAP seemed loaded with the individuals who might have excelled in any specific chosen field. Most of them appeared ‘social workers’ and ‘managers’; rather than ‘politicians’ who can take on the might of galaxies of leaders in BJP or veteran of Congress or any other political establishment. They may have ideas but implementation is altogether a different ball game; AAP leaders seemed untried and untested and more than anything else; unconvincing. You are tested to the limits and these gentlemen and ladies from AAP found giving impression of crumbling under tactics and challenges in their utopian dreams of changing the future course of India. The logic behind everything against AAP politically; was that they were not here for ‘Politics’ but to change the politics but funny part was that they were in this very politics as a naive.

The question for them will always be there: if they were not here for politics than what AAP stood for? And if they were here for politics which they definitely are in, when is their plan to learn politics?

They fielded more than 400 candidates India wide who were left for their fates because there was no such organisational structure in the party and thus no support from party. Just for the goodwill did you expect people to vote for you? AAP remained a bunch of few individuals with a boss at head with no regards for organisational structure and apathy for the women in power. At least that was the message people received when women leaders left the party one after another and people returning the ticket of party in a spree from various constituencies.

And with these achievements at hand, AAP believe to change this country and system; how intriguing!

Lastly, AAP seemed a headless chicken when it came on its national agenda. Each of the leaders of this party had his own agenda. When you have national ambitions, you have to project your views for each issue touching the core of the country. No foreign policy, no agricultural policy and with nil experience AAP was going national. What was your stand on infrastructure, jobs, poverty etc and what are your plans? It was never discussed by any of AAP leaders in any public forum; to say the least, it was never conveyed to us. Further to the nuisance of the party, your stand for free Kashmir was well known to every Indian and you expected the same Indian to vote for you for a separate Kashmir! What a hope sirjee!

The meteoric rise of AAP was a phenomenon one of its own kind. One election was sufficient to put this party in limelight but another election has brought it back to the knees. It will take years for AAP to restore the faith of the common man.  It was a missed opportunity and for some extend I am also angry with them for igniting the false hopes. However, I don’t see any immediate future of party because I don’t find any common point of interest among its leader.  They are already shaken to the core and there shouldn’t be any surprise if the exodus from the party initiates one more time. The party is new, and the morale is low. With scare resources what they had, was the faith of people in them which they have lost for good. It was a grand opening of AAP but it is equally a painful end with dark long night ahead.