The party has failed to show the traits of a democratic party and the one which respects democracy while basing all its political techniques on it for that matter. Had Kejriwal and other AAP leaders allowed sentiments like that of Bhaduri to come to the fore, they would have been able to win people in general elections too.
The Delhi government of Aam Aadmi Party is under fire. Within a month of its formation, the Arvind Kejriwal-led government has seen many ups and downs. Some of it were unseen, other were orchestrated by it.
As if bad-press due to law minister Somnath Bharti and other AAP leaders was not enough, the party has gained another criticism point as its founding member Madhu Bhaduri quit from party on Sunday. Bhaduri, a former ambassador to Portugal and member of AAP’s several core committees – including gender justice – expressed disappointment with party’s outlook.
“My outlook is no longer same as the party’s outlook. This is not the same party which was founded a year ago. I have removed myself from the party. The party does not treat women as human beings,” she was reported in the media saying.
Bhaduri had sent a resolution against Bharti’s infamous midnight raid but it was not acknowledged by any senior leader in the party. According to newspaper Hindustan Times, Bhaduri told that an attempt to speak about the incident at the party national executive meet was stopped by senior leader Yogendra Yadav who had told her not to create a scene in front of the media.
According to the newspaper, the text of the resolution that Bhaduri wanted to be read was as under:
“The National Council of AAP unanimously resolves to tender an apology to the women from Uganda and Nigeria, living in Khirki extension, who were forced to submit to the narco test at the behest of some members and supporters of AAP on the night of 15/16 Jan, 2014. The party deeply regrets the humiliation caused to the women. The AAP distances itself from any racist comments made by the party and apologises for any such comments by its members and supporters. The AAP is not racist.”
But, it should be noted, the senior leadership chose to take Bharti’s side instead and a two-day illegal dharna was held at the Rail Bhawan premises prior to the Republic Day. Rather than apologizing, as suggested by Bhaduri, or sacking Bharti, Delhi chief minister Kejriwal and his party men waved a fake letter by the Ugandan High Commission in the face of the public and media and threatened to disrupt the Republic Day parade.
The party’s position is already in doldrums. It has expelled its MLA Vinod Kumar Binny for voicing his concerns regarding the newly formed AAP government’s ways and tactics. The holier than thou attitude that it has resorted to is already earning it heavy criticism. Few of its leaders have fallen out of the party nationally and taken Binny’s side which includes Tina Sharma and Capt. Gopinath.
Gopinath, who was one of AAP’s more high profile recruits, has been reiterating his demands that Bharti be suspended from his post. In a Times of India column, he had written: “Was the cause just? How can you demand suspension of junior police personnel without also suspending law minister Somnath Bharti at the same time? If police can influence witnesses so can Bharti who has greater power.”
AAP earned the tag of being an ‘anarchist’, yet it chose to support a man who considered himself eligible enough to run his whims and fancies in a democracy holding an office of power. He led a mob against some hapless Ugandan women and tried to browbeat the Delhi Police, went to AIIMS to bully doctors, threatened to spit on the faces of Harish Salve and Arun Jaitley and displayed all characteristics of being an arrogant person.
The support base of AAP is declining due to the disillusionment that the party itself created among them. These were the people who had come out in his support during the lokpal days and who kept going to the street protesting on important issues like women safety and price rise. But AAP chose to see them as a bunch of ‘elitist’ people who don’t want the corrupt system to change because they benefit by it (as charged by AAP media spokesman Ashutosh).
Few days ago, the Economic Times had discovered that AAP’s online donations declined sharply the day after Bharti’s midnight shenanigans were revealed in the media, and continued to drop as Kejriwal went on his dharna.
Had AAP shown the courage to kick Bharti out and be truthful about the incident, the all time low that the party is in would not havehappened.
The recent in the news is that Binny, lone JD(U) leader in the Delhi assembly Shoaib Iqbal and three other legislators, including an independent who had supported AAP government during the trust vote, have threatened to withdraw support if their demands are not heeded in 48 hours.
They have announced launching of an independent political outfit and are demanding roll back of six-eight percent power rate surcharge, supplying daily 700 litres of water without any condition and probe against the corrupt people named by the party in its poll campaign.
AAP won 28 seats in December 2013 assembly elections in the 70-member house and earned Congress support, who had won eight seats, to form the government. If this threat culminates into truth, AAP government will suffer a severe blow as AAP’s one member has been voted speaker of the house, which means loss of one vote.
The party has failed to show the traits of a democratic party and the one which respects democracy while basing all its political techniques on it for that matter. Had Kejriwal and other AAP leaders allowed sentiments like that of Bhaduri to come to the fore, they would have been able to win people in general elections too.
But the chances of everything are now bleak. For the King Kejriwal is adamant on not doing introspection.
