New Delhi: Despite his best efforts so far, former Delhi Chief Minister and Convenor of Aam Aadmi Party Arvind Kejriwal has apparently not been able to convince the voters about his ‘innocence’. Kejriwal Kejriwal resigned as Delhi chief minister following release on bail from the Supemo Court in the liquor scam. He handed over the administration baton to one of his closest aides Atishi Marlena. But this move had little impact over the electorate in the State which was apparent from the very poor turnout in his ‘Jan Adalats.’
The Jan Adalats of the AAP Convenor was also not attended seriously by his party workers and leaders making him jittery. But, the shrewd politician knows well it will require a herculean effort to woo the voters who in the past one and half years have learnt almost everything about the scam and the manner in which it was done. Hence, he has started a new game—writing letters to the Delhi voters and trying his best to tell them that it was the BJP which got him trapped. But the fact is that it was the Congress which had first raised the issue of corruption in the Liquor Policy and urged the Lieutenant Governor to launch a probe. But Kejriwal allied with the Congress during the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year which has surprised the electorate.
According to a supporters of Kejriwal, till the case came to surface he also thought that the action against the AAP leader is ‘political vendetta. “But as the details of the case emerged, there was no doubt that every effort was made by Kejriwal to ‘ensure a steady source of income for the party,’ he said. After release on bail, Kejriwal wanted to drive the point home that the Lieutenant Governor was being instructed by the Central government to stall Kejriwal government’s development schemes. That also has not convinced the voters. According to them Kejriwal held no portfolio and left the governance in the hands of Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Minister Satyendra Jain and others. Corruption allegations and lack of sympathy for Kejriwal during the general elections in Delhi indicate the AAP’s “party with a difference” image has taken a beating.
In a recent letter to the people, the AAP leader urged the people to re-elect him as the chief minister ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, he said he has launched a ‘Jansampark Yatra’– a mass outreach campaign– to address questions surrounding his five-month imprisonment. The yatra, Kejriwal said, has been planned to ensure that Delhi residents understand why he was jailed and the challenges AAP faced during his absence. The AAP supremo in his letter asked the party workers to explain his stance to the residents while delivering his letter.
“When you carry my letter to the residents of Delhi, you have to explain that I would not have been jailed, had I not provided them with these facilities in Delhi. If Manish Sisodia had not made world-class schools for their children then they would not have sent him to jail, if Satyender Jain had not provided them with mohalla clinics, good hospitals and free medicines then he would not have been rotting in jail right now,” Kejriwal alleged. “Everyone knows that I have not done any corruption. Kejriwal cannot commit corruption,” he says.
But, it remains to be seen if he is able to convince the voters as during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, his party faired miserably conceding all the Seven seats to the BJP. The Congress, which had enter into an alliance with the AAP, has now severed its alliance as seen during the Haryana Assemly elections and plans to campaign in all 70 Assembly seats in Delhi when the Assembly elections are held.
The Congress blames the AAP for its debacle in the Lok Sabha elections. Kejriwal’s ‘Sheeshmahal’ project too has created a lot of suspicion among the people and a probe is ongoing to get to the root of the issue.
