NEW DELHI: Critics of Aam Aadmi Party say that it focuses a lot on blame games than being accountable for its own administration.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), like any political party, receives both, praise and criticism regarding its governance and political strategies. Critics often argue that AAP focuses too much on blame games against opponents, especially the central government, rather than addressing governance issues directly. Supporters, however, claim that highlighting systemic problems and holding other political entities accountable is crucial for transparency and reform. The party was formed after the ‘India Against Corruption’ movement, which demanded accountability from politicians and was aimed at overthrowing corrupt politicians out of power.
The party claimed that unlike other parties, the AAP government will be free from corruption and will provide an alternative to the traditional politics of parties like the BJP and Congress. People trusted them and brought them to power. However, fast forward to the present, and the party is in the middle of a crisis due to its top leadership being in jail, facing charges of corruption.
In several instances, the party focused more on doing politics than managing the crisis. Every year, during the winter, the people of Delhi find themselves in the middle of a pollution crisis. AAP has often been criticised for taking reactive, seasonal measures rather than implementing long-term solutions. For example, the odd-even vehicle scheme was introduced temporarily during peak pollution periods but did not address the root causes of pollution. While stubble burning in neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana contributes to Delhi’s pollution, critics argue that the AAP government has overemphasised this factor, often using it as a primary reason for the city’s air quality issues. This approach deflects attention from local sources of pollution, such as vehicle emissions, industrial activities, and construction dust. During the pollution crisis, the party plays blame games.
During the recent water crisis in the city, AAP Minister Atishi targeted the Haryana government for not releasing water, while the government failed to curb the illegal water tankers that were being used in the city. In a letter to LG Vinay Saxena, at the time of the crisis, Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav even wrote a letter requesting his intervention in collusion with the tanker mafia and the Delhi government.
He said, talking of a newspaper report about AAP MLA from Deoli, Prakash Jarwal taking an alleged bribe of Rs 60 lakh monthly from the water tanker owners. He said that about 20 water tanker owners reported to have come forward claiming that Jarwal had asked them for money, and four of them recorded their statements before a magistrate stating that they had paid him Rs 20,000 each to clear their file and Rs 500 for each round of supply.
It may be recalled that a water tanker owner, Dr Rajender Singh, committed suicide a few years ago due to alleged harassment by Jarwal, even after making a payment of Rs 10 lakh to him. According to a political analyst, AAP’s performance in this election is expected to go down, as the party has had no breakthrough performance in the last five years; rather, they only targeted the central government. He added that the landing of AAP ministers in jail has affected their clean and corruption-free image.