New Delhi: Among the opposition leaders voicing support for the withdrawing Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcation of the state into two union territories was Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who Monday tweeted that he hoped the decisions would bring peace to the region.
We support the govt on its decisions on J & K. We hope this will bring peace and development in the state.
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 5, 2019
The chief minister’s stance goes against the very grain of his long-held grouse against the Modi government — the lack of statehood for Delhi.
It is, however, very much in line with the new avatar of Arvind Kejriwal ahead of next year’s assembly elections in the national capital — that of a ‘humble’ chief minister who never misses a chance to thank the Narendra Modi-led NDA government.
Or so it seems from his recent pronouncements where the Delhi CM has been praising the central government for a number of schemes he has launched in the national capital. It is a far cry from the days when he launched a diatribe against the PM almost on a daily basis.
Also read: Modi govt wanted to scrap Article 370 in February. Pulwama CRPF attack forced postponement
A change of heart
The Delhi chief minister’s change of heart with regard to the Modi government appears to have come on the back of the Aam Aadmi Party’s drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections. Nearly a month after the elections, Kejriwal met the Prime Minister on 21 June and “congratulated him” for the victory.
Met Sh @narendramodi ji n congratulated him for LS victory
1. Del govt plans to store yamuna water during rainy season. One season’s water sufficient to meet one year’s Delhi’s water needs. Requested Centre’s support
2. Invited PM to visit a Mohalla clinic n Del govt school
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 21, 2019
He also tweeted that he had assured the Centre of the Delhi government’s full co-operation in developing the national capital.
Assured full cooperation of Del govt. To develop Delhi, capital city of India, it is imp that Del govt n Centre work together. https://t.co/zer8OIVBGN
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 21, 2019
Then on 2 July, after Delhi cabinet approved the ambitious project for water conservation in the Yamuna river floodplains, the chief minister didn’t refrain from expressing his appreciation for the central government. After the cabinet meeting, Kejriwal called up Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and thanked him for the quick approvals for the project and the cooperation extended to the Delhi government.
The two also shared amicable moments during the inauguration of ‘India’s largest’ sewage treatment plant at Okhla on 8 July.
In between, while launching the CCTV camera project, Kejriwal fought charges that he was softening his stand on the Modi government but again sounded placatory. “Who said we have gone soft? We have said it many times that the central government should take stern action in view of the deteriorating law and order situation in Delhi. Our government is cooperating with them,” he said. “We have been doing whatever we can do. Attacking or abusing each other is not a solution.”
Days later, commenting on the delay in the completion of the fourth phase of the Delhi Metro, Kejriwal said the central government was not to be blamed. “The work has been stuck for several years. We should not get into who was at fault and when,” he tweeted in Hindi on 13 July. “Rather all should come together to complete it as soon as possible. This is what is in public interest.”
He reiterated that message on 24 July when he said he was happy to note that Delhi’s proposals were getting passed by the Modi government. “We have always worked for the people of Delhi and continue to do so. Our aim is not to fight with an individual or a party,” he said. “Delhi is the national capital and work can only happen if we work in support with the central government.”
Also read: Explained: This is what Modi govt has done to scrap Article 370, 35A in Jammu & Kashmir
Delhi elections behind this change?
The Delhi chief minister’s changed attitude is in sharp contrast to his past relationship with the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi since AAP assumed power in Delhi in 2015.
“Modi is a coward and a psychopath,” Kejriwal famously tweeted in December 2015 and his AAP even ran a Twitter campaign targeting PM Modi over his estranged wife. Kejriwal has also charged the Prime Minister with plotting his assassination on numerous occasions.
The change in tone began last year when the chief minister tendered apologies to then finance minister Arun Jaitley and Union minister Nitin Gadkari after accusing them of corruption. He also tendered an apology to former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia after accusing of being behind the state’s drug crisis.
The real change, however, came after the AAP’s defeat in the Lok Sabha polls.
Sources in the AAP claim that given the constant fall in the party’s vote percentage since 2015, when Kejriwal led his party to a stupendous victory in the Delhi assembly polls, AAP MLAs have been jittery as the elections are just six months away.
With the BJP leadership showing no reservations in encouraging MLAs of other parties to cross over, the sources said Kejriwal too fears the fall of his government with party legislators jumping ship.
With the Delhi government’s emphasis on the manifesto-related promises still hanging in the air, sources in the CM’s office said, the party could not afford to not have the central government by its side. ThePrint has also learnt that the CM was tired of being in war mode and in a constant tussle with the Modi government, and hence wanted to invest that energy in executing more schemes for the people of Delhi.
Also read: Kejriwal thinks free electricity will work magic. But single issues rarely decide election
‘No one can afford to be anti-Modi at the moment’
According to political analyst and psephologist Sanjay Kumar, Director, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, the Delhi chief minister can’t afford to take on the prime minister at the moment. “It is not just Kejriwal, no one can afford to be anti-Modi at the moment given the huge popularity he enjoys among the masses,” Kumar said. “Having said that, Kejriwal’s stature and popularity have gone down recently and perhaps this is a way to rebuild his image.”
Kumar further told ThePrint that perhaps people also get tired of seeing a person who is always at loggerheads with either the LG or PM even if they realise he’s done well for them in the education and health sectors.
A senior party member, close to the CM, however, said while the government has been improving its ties with the central government, it has not let its guard down. “We are taking extra measures not to let any instances to communal clashes, riots, or disharmony happen in Delhi, just like what has happened to different states prior to elections,” he said. “Given Delhi Police is not under our control, the only way is to keep a tab on the situation and work with the Centre because they control the police.”
The BJP isn’t buying it. The party’s Delhi unit president Manoj Tiwari said that the fear of a loss in Delhi is behind Kejriwal’s change in stance. “He perhaps thinks he will be thrown out of Delhi once BJP is in power and will send corrupt people to jail and perhaps that’s why he doing this election stunt to gain sympathy,” Tiwari added.
Also read: Not AAP or Congress, BJP’s biggest rival in Delhi assembly polls is its fractured ranks