In Defence of Arvind Kejriwal

I know we have a secret ballot. But I am not going to be secretive about for whom I am going to vote tomorrow in the Delhi legislative assembly elections—It is Arvind Kejriwal.


A question: Who can make Congress and BJP join hands? Arvind Kejriwal of course.


Both BJP and the Congress are parroting the same charges against Kejriwal and his Aam Admi Party. When these two parties attack someone there must be something seriously right with him.


The first charge against Arvind is that he is the runaway chief minister. Just after 49 days as chief minister he resigned his post . Tell me, how many of the politicians cutting across party lines would quit on grounds of principle? That seems very old fashioned in the current day political scenario.


Both BJP and Congress are harping about four “dummy companies depositing Rs two crores in AAP’s bank account and yell “hawala” . They know very well that hawala transactions are not done by cheques. And donations through hawala would not find their way into the party website.. When some corporate body gives donation to a party through cheque it is naturally assumed that it is a bona fide donation.


The ever ridiculous Arnab Goswami lambasted AAP because these companies were dummies with false addresses and no turnovers and had the same directors. If that is the case it is for the CBI or enforcement directorate to probe it. You don’t expect recipients of donations to go and cheque company turnovers and examine. the horoscopes of the companies’ directors. Can BJP and Congress put the details of the donations they received and the names of their donors on their websites? .


It has been nine months since BJP led NDA has been in p ower and it still hasn’t delivered., Modi famously said during the Lok Sabha election campaign, that he would bring all the black money stashed abroad within 100 days of coming to power. And the only thing we have heard on it is some three unknown guys whose names suspiciously sounded like those requesting for music on FM channels have been revealed. The big fish are still swimming in the murky waters unhooked.


AAP despite its faults remains the sole party that tried to deliver on its promises during his short tenure. Measures were taken to streamline the water supply and a power audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General ordered ignoring loud protests by power distribution firms like Tata and Reliance. Heaven knows what happened to the audid under the aegis of BJP.


BJP has tried to make it an Arvind versus Kiran battle, Kiran Bedi has been projected as an honest and efficient administrator. But if you examine her career closely you will find a lot of skeletons in her cupboard.


When she was posted in Mizoram Bedi tried to get her daughter admitted in a Delhi medical collage under the northeastern states quota. The quota is mainly meant for scheduled tribes and other original residents of the region and not for daughters of officlals on transfer.


Shifted to Delhi as chief of Tihar jail, she gave VIP treatment to convicted murderer Charles Shobhraj, His cell had a fan, cooler and he was allowed to have a typewriter.. Other prisoners, of course sweated it out. Many of them may not have even been criminals in the true sense but undertrials. who could have been released later in the future. Why this partiality Ms.Bedi? Her answer to this as to her daughter’s college admission was that she didn’t break any rules. May be within rules she was, but what she did, was that ethical, was that just?


Then she quit the forced peeved at being sidelined for selection as Delhi police chief. And began an NGO, Here media reports exposed how she charged sponsors who invited her for lectures business class fares and travelled by economy class in flights and even in that she wrested a concession for president’s police medal winners. Once she reportedly charged for business class fare from Delhi to Mumbai but was actually in Pune and travelled by road from there.


When cornered by the media she admitted that she took extra money like this from her sponsors but said that the money was meant for her NGO. While she admitted to taking business class fares and travelling by economy, there is no proof that the money was actually used for the NGO. Even then, couldn’t she have found more honest means to collect funds? And is there any guarantee that a person who is dishonest for such small things, would be honest when voted into power?


As a member of Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement she pretended to be irulently anti-politicians and publicly humiliated two BJP top honchos when they tried to ride piggyback on the movement.. Just read her tweets in which she accuses Narendra Modi of moral responsibility for Gujarat communal violence, Now has all the a;;eged blood been washed off Modi, Ms. Bedi? Can anyone including Modi, trust such a seasoned flip flopper??


Congress’ chief ministerial hopeful Ajay Maken? Not a bad chap but he carries the baggage of the Gandhi family. He doesn’t even stand a chance with Congress party expected to be reduced to single digits.


So even by default it is Arvind Kejriwal and no one else. I am not 100% happy with everything he has done. A year ago I wrote a blog titled Dear Arvind Kejriwal criticizing many of his actions. But going by the quality of other parties and candidates, he still remains the best bet for Delhi.

 

Ilovepink in the heat of elections everyone is indulging in character assassination, BJP more than AAP. As for the liquor, isn't it strange that it was found hours after Kejriwal made a statement about liquor distribution during polls. Don't you see there is a possibility that it could have been planted with little help from the law and order machinery?

 

True he should get into the administrator's mode from the activist one. at the same time without ceasing to be an activist. To be fair to him he tried to keep more promises during his short regime than any other chief minister. He was not all talk but wanted to take measures too.