Ever since Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate, the Aam Aadmi Party appears absolutely determined to make the issue political. The BJP, which is on the defensive, has been at pains to explain that the arrest had nothing to do with politics, but was the outcome of the ongoing investigation in the liquor scam, where many high-profile functionaries have already been taken into custody.
What seems to be working against the ruling dispensation is that the arrest took place after the model code of conduct was announced, just ahead of the 2024 parliamentary elections. In this highly surcharged political atmosphere, the AAP has been raising questions about the matter and has alleged that the BJP was bent upon preventing Kejriwal from campaigning, and had thus taken this action.
On Friday, senior leader and minister, Atishi Singh, lashed out at the BJP and claimed that the Centre was wanting to impose President’s Rule in the national capital in order to deprive the people of a democratically elected government. Yes, it is true that the Lieutenant Governor, who acts at the behest of the Union government has made it clear that the government cannot be run from jail. However, he has never stated that there shall be President’s Rule, though the possibility cannot be ruled out given his statement.
It is a well-known fact that the Lieutenant Governor and the elected representatives have been on a warpath since long, and it is but natural that a clash between the two can take place at every given opportunity. Recently, Raaj Kumar Anand, a minister quit his post and the party citing corruption. The AAP claimed that he had been raided by the ED and was thus forced to resign. The BJP has been stating that AAP should appoint someone other Kejriwal as the Chief Minister and since certain decisions required the approval of the entire Cabinet, it was not possible to have a meeting of the Council of Ministers when their boss was behind bars.
TV channels have been debating on the constitutional and legal aspects of the issue and arguments have been made both for and against the imposition of the President’s Rule. It needs to be clearly understood that the matter is entirely political at this juncture, and notwithstanding what is stated by the Constitution, the AAP is going to exploit things to its advantage.
The BJP’s problem is that the arrest has revived the AAP, and in the battle for Delhi seats, there appears to be some change that is happening at the ground level. There are many who despite siding with the BJP, have started voicing their opinion against the arrest when the “elections had been declared”, and this is something which is worrying the saffron brigade.
For record’s sake, the AAP in both the 2015 and the 2020 Assembly elections had polled more than 50% of the total votes cast, which is unprecedented. The mandate ever since the party started contesting polls, has only been for Kejriwal as the Chief Minister.
Therefore, the question that arises is that would the BJP take the risk of dismissing a popularly elected CM even though the law and constitution may permit this? The political fallout could have serious repercussions. The AAP has nearly 200 elected representatives in the various bodies including the three members of the Rajya Sabha. With Sanjay Singh, its leader out on bail, it is certain that the AAP shall not allow the BJP to derive any sort of advantage.
The drawback for the BJP in the city is that it does not have any clear-cut face, who has emerged in the leadership role since the time when Madan Lal Khurana and Sahib Singh Verma were active on the scene. Many leaders such as Vijay Goel and Dr Harsh Vardhan have been sidelined and the new crop of leadership is yet to catch the imagination of the people.
On the other hand, Kejriwal is the unquestioned boss of his party and has a dedicated following. He is an astute and shrewd politician who knows how to exploit the sentiments of the people. His supporters may not be campaigning for the Lok Sabha as yet, but have started going door to door seeking support for his release. They have been trying to convince the people that Kejriwal’s arrest was illegal and the result of political vendetta.
In some quarters, this argument is clicking. The freebies and concessions offered by the Delhi government have also come to the AAP’s rescue, and many are wondering that under which dispensation can they hope for such low bills on power tariff and related matters.
The BJP, which was in the driver’s seat when the election process commenced, now finds itself struggling to convince people that the Delhi CM’s arrest has nothing to do with the party, but took place because there was evidence against him. What has made matters complicated is that the ED has not been able to publicly state what happened to the money which Kejriwal and his party colleagues reportedly accepted.
There have also been reports that K. Kavitha, daughter of former Telangana CM, K. Chandrsekhar Rao, who was arrested in the case, could turn approver and testify against the AAP leaders. Whether this happens or not is something time alone would tell.
In the meantime, the AAP is confident that President’s Rule would be the ultimate nail in BJP’s coffin in Delhi. Between us.