Arvind Kejriwal is an Indian politician and the national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). He is also the former Chief Minister of Delhi. Before venturing into politics, Kejriwal was a civil servant, having graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur with a degree in mechanical engineering. He later joined the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) as a Joint Commissioner of Income Tax.
Arvind Kejriwal rose to prominence as an anti-corruption activist during the India Against Corruption movement, which gained widespread support in the early 2010s. In 2012, he founded the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to bring transparency and combat corruption in politics. Kejriwal became the youngest Chief Minister of Delhi in 2013, leading a coalition government with the Congress, but his tenure lasted only 49 days due to his resignation over the failure to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill. He was re-elected as Chief Minister in 2015, securing a historic mandate for AAP with a landslide victory.
In 2024, Kejriwal resigned as Chief Minister following his involvement in the 2022 excise policy scam. Allegations surfaced that changes made to Delhi’s excise policy benefited liquor suppliers, leading to investigations by central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Kejriwal denied the allegations, and after being granted bail in the case, he announced his intention to seek a “certificate” from the people in the upcoming elections. His leadership of AAP and the “Brand Kejriwal” face a major test in the 2025 Delhi assembly elections.
Kejriwal’s tenure was also marked by frequent clashes with Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor, with tensions often escalating over administrative control and decision-making, particularly in areas that fell under central government jurisdiction.
It is not right to say that Kejriwal has no ideology. He focuses on freebies, subsidies, healthcare, and education. Of course, corruption is part and parcel of this type of politics. In my book, he is a staunch leftist. He got two things wrong in his life. First is that he wasted his IIT education. Second is that he chose leftism over free-market liberalism. Socialism is refuge of scoundrels.
In my ledger, on the credit side, CM Arvind Kejriwal ran an obstacle course for a decade, choreographed from Raj Nivas. On the debit side, he let down the city’s Muslims during the riots of 2020.
Whatever damage Mr Arvind Kejriwal has done to the Congress since the IAC days, keeping him inside the INDIA tent was in the party’s abiding interest. What has the Congress gained by facilitating AAP’s loss of home base in Delhi. The opposition space is ruptured. Without the regional parties, the Congress can never return to power at the Centre. And if senior regional leaders like Ms Mamata Banerjee give up their prime ministerial ambitions, why shouldn’t they cut deals with what appears to be an indestructible BJP. Something Mr Naveen Patnaik did for a decade. Mr Rahul Gandhi has a lot to think about when he goes on his morning run.
Mr. Gupta was elated with the 2024 general election results. He genuinely thought that Modi’s era is over and the BJP is past its nadir. Now it will be in free fall and eventually the earlier elite, the Lutyens/Khan Market gang, will be back in power. The golden days of yore would return.
Unfortunately, reality has turned out otherwise.
2024 general elections were an aberration based on two factors – Congress misinformation claiming that the Constitution would be in danger if the BJP crossed 400 and Dalit’s (and other oppressed groups) rights will be snatched away. Secondly, the promise of a plethora of freebies to the population swayed many voters.