Page 15 - English Tehelka Issue 7 - April 15, 2018

OpiniOn pOlitics

Has Kejriwal’s AAP turned apology to political rivals. Though most

party leaders do not endorse Kejriwal’s
into Aam Apology Party? apology, they have little chance except
to reconcile to the developments.
But it is not just in Punjab that the
The unqualified apologies by Kejriwal prove that he had been party is facing a serious crisis, it is find-
ing itself in a mess even in its strong-
Spotlight levelling false, unfounded and baseless allegations against all and hold of Delhi. The relief provided by
the Delhi High Court may turn out to
sundry. It showed complete irresponsibility on part of the Delhi CM
Vipin pubby be a temporary relief. The High Court
has set aside the disqualification of 20
he Delhi High Court’s judg- leading to “wastage of time” due to fre- MLAs from the Delhi Assembly by the
ment quashing orders of quent court appearances. He also said Election Commission but has asked
the Election Commission that governance was suffering due to his them to again approach the Commis-
Former resident editor on disqualification of 20 frequent travels across the country for sion again for fresh hearing.
of the indian express, Aam Aadmi Party MLAs attending court cases. There is no doubt that the action of
Vipin Pubby is a senior T has brought back smiles for However, what the unqualified the Commission in disqualifying the
journalist based in the AAP leaders but they need to con- apologies also prove is that he had been MLAs was not above board. The leg-
Chandigarh. He can template on the steeply declining public levelling false, unfounded and base- islators were not given any chance to
be contacted at support and poor perception building less allegations against all and sundry. defend their case. The order was passed
vipinpubby@gmail. up against the party. Absolutely no effort was made by him or photo: raman gill just two days before the retirement of
com. The views AAP had come into existence riding his advisers to cross check allegations. Within the House it can be possible Chief Election Commissioner A K Jyoti
expressed are personal the crest of a popular wave which had In other words, it showed complete • Sorry sought Now IAS forum demands only if the split unit merges with one who had earlier served as chief secre-
written apology from Arvind Kejriwal
people from all walks of life joining irresponsibility on the part of Kejriwal of the parties. A merger was ruled out tary in the Modi government in Gujarat.
hands to provide clean politics and and his advisers or supporters. The with both the Congress and the BJP. It The expeditious acceptance of EC’s rec-
dream for a better India. Hundreds of leaders or persons against whom such family, had been firm in denying the could have merged with its alliance ommendations by the President and
professionals, including from overseas, serious charges were levelled, and who charges but a public perception was partner, Lok Insaf Party, but it was too the ordering of disqualification had led
had resigned from their jobs or had must have felt humiliated in public and indeed created around his name. small a party to merge with. to doubts over the intentions behind
taken long leave to help the new party. personal life, were made to suffer for no Not just that, its elected MLAs have The second important reason the disqualifications.
Thousands had worked hard at the fault of theirs. been vocal in demanding ‘action’ which ruled out a split was the political The High Court has not adjudicated
grassroots level to build up a base and And now that Kejriwal has tendered against Majithia and have often raised uncertainty. It had been just one year merits or otherwise of the case. It has
persuade voters to elect a “different kind apologies does it not amount to cheating the issue both inside and outside the since the election and none of the AAP simply asked the Commission to hear
of government”. Lakhs had voted for the the voters? Many of them would have Assembly. They have also been getting MLAs could afford to take any risk and the case again. In case the Commission
party candidates in Delhi, the nucleus voted for the party candidates in the support from a section of Congress contest a fresh election. sticks to its earlier verdict, the legisla-
from which it was to spread its wings firm belief that what Kejriwal and other legislators even though they belong to In the meantime, Kejriwal and his tors concerned can again challenge the
across the country. leaders had been saying was factually the rival camp. associates were able to convince half orders. Given the political sensitivity
Over the years, however, the party is correct. They were thus apparently No wonder the state unit of the party of the MLAs on why it was necessary to of the case it is expected to carry on
hurtling from one crisis to another and misled for the sole objective of gaining reacted sharply to the sudden an- end litigation even though it involved and end only with the verdict of the
has almost lost the goodwill that had at- political power. Does this not call for an nouncement regarding Kejriwal’s apol- Supreme Court.
tracted voters to its commitment of ush- apology to the voters. Is it not the moral ogy to Majithia. The behind-the-scene Besides these developments, the
ering a revolution in governance. In fact responsibility for Kejriwal and other negotiations and formalities were internal crisis within the party involv-
the party has turned out to be the same, MLAs to tender their resignation and kept hidden from the entire state unit The relief provided ing sacking of stalwarts like Yogendra
if not worse, than the other traditional contest elections again? of the party. The MLAs came to know Yadav and Prashant Bhushan, suspen-
parties. The decision of party supremo In the run up to the Punjab elections, about the deal only when Majithia held by Delhi HC may turn sion of two of the four party MPs, slap-
Arvind Kejriwal to tender unqualified the AAP had made drug menace as a a press conference and displayed the out to be temporary ping of criminal charges against over a
apologies to several top politicians from major election issue. It had been openly letter of apology. It was a moral victory dozen of its legislators and nomination
the BJP, Congress and Shiromani Akali alleging that there was a nexus between for Majithia but it came as a tight slap as the court has of moneybags to Rajya Sabha overlook-
Dal, among others, has shattered the top politicians and drug traffickers. on the AAP’s face. asked the Election ing the claims of leaders like Kumar
image of an honest, sincere, responsible There was hardly any pubic speech in There was talk of a split in the party Vishwas has severely dented the party’s
and mature party. which Kejriwal had not named former and formation of a new party. This Commission to hear image. It shall take quite an effort and a
The argument given by the party minister Bikram Singh Majithia, broth- proposal was shelved for the time lot of introspection for the party lead-
leadership for the series of equivo- er-in-law of then deputy chief minister being due to two factors. One, that the afresh the cases ership to restore its credibility and faith
cal apologies to various leaders is that Sukhbir Singh Badal and brother of amended Act for split in political par- of 20 previously among the common people.
Kejriwal was facing over 30 defamation Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal. ties had made it very difficult for parties
cases across 21 states and that it was Majithia, who belongs to a well-to-do to split within and outside the House. disqualified MLAs letters@tehelka.com

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