The Aam Aadmi Party leader, Arvind Kejriwal, a self-acclaimed champion of India's common man(aam aadmi), has, by now, thoroughly exposed himself through his acts of commission and omission. He paraded himself as an "aam aadmi" embodiment, but he acts as "khas aadmi"-a special person-a VIP, the word he publicly detested. He continues to occupy govt-provided residence in an exclusive area in New Delhi and still moves with govt security, even though he is no more the Chief Minister of Delhi.
All along, Kejriwal was accusing the Congress and the BJP of ignoring common people and taking vital decisions in a closed room through a small group. He is doing the same thing: He and his core group selected the Lok Sabha candidates for the 2014 general election in a "closed room" and not in public consultation with his workers and supporters. For the campaign, Kejriwal chose a cavalcade of 100 cars to drive across Haryana and UP. Can this style of electioneering be regarded as "aam aadmi" approach?
Arvind Kejriwal's latest favourite strategy is to target Narendra Modi, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, whom the media opinion polls are describing as the front-runner. He dimisses the pro-Modi "wave" in the country as fake which has been allegedly created by the TV channels, being funded by Mukesh Ambani. Without offering any proof, he is repeatedly charging both major parties with "sitting in the lap of " the Reliance chief. Thus, he has reduced himself to the status of a rabble-rouser, an street agitator, instead of growing up as a sober, dignified, mature politician with a concrete economic, political and social agenda for the welfare of the Indian people. Contrary to the media assessment of the AAP's neglible presence and impact nation-wide, Kejriwal is making tall, over-ambitious claims of winning 100 seats in the coming national elections, asserting that no government can be formed at the Centre without the help of the AAP. In other words, not yet the Prime Minister but the king-maker?
All along, Kejriwal was accusing the Congress and the BJP of ignoring common people and taking vital decisions in a closed room through a small group. He is doing the same thing: He and his core group selected the Lok Sabha candidates for the 2014 general election in a "closed room" and not in public consultation with his workers and supporters. For the campaign, Kejriwal chose a cavalcade of 100 cars to drive across Haryana and UP. Can this style of electioneering be regarded as "aam aadmi" approach?
Arvind Kejriwal's latest favourite strategy is to target Narendra Modi, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, whom the media opinion polls are describing as the front-runner. He dimisses the pro-Modi "wave" in the country as fake which has been allegedly created by the TV channels, being funded by Mukesh Ambani. Without offering any proof, he is repeatedly charging both major parties with "sitting in the lap of " the Reliance chief. Thus, he has reduced himself to the status of a rabble-rouser, an street agitator, instead of growing up as a sober, dignified, mature politician with a concrete economic, political and social agenda for the welfare of the Indian people. Contrary to the media assessment of the AAP's neglible presence and impact nation-wide, Kejriwal is making tall, over-ambitious claims of winning 100 seats in the coming national elections, asserting that no government can be formed at the Centre without the help of the AAP. In other words, not yet the Prime Minister but the king-maker?
