He faces allegations of having links with drug smugglers in Punjab and has filed a series of defamation cases against politicians and media in this connection.
Khare was at the centre of the storm when the newspaper reported on the easy access to Aadhaar data, as well as the public apology to Bikram Singh Majithia.
In 2016, Kejriwal said he would ‘drag’ Majithia to jail for his alleged role in Punjab drug racket, prompting the latter to file defamation suit against him.
The guidelines ask whether a student can climb stairs, but not whether the college has a ramp. They ask whether a student can bear weight, but not whether the system can bear the weight of its own prejudice.
India’s industrial output growth saw a 10-month low in June, with Index of Industrial Production (IIP) growing by mere 1.5% as against 1.9% in May 2025.
ACM Katre was 2nd IAF chief to die in harness. It was at a memorial lecture in his honour where IAF chief AP Singh revealed that India shot down 6 Pakistani aircraft in Op Sindoor.
Standing up to America is usually not a personal risk for a leader in India. Any suggestions of foreign pressure unites India behind who they see as leading them in that fight.
Uncle ji also forgot to mention, he called the them corrupt, to prove he would have needed investigative agencies help. After the courts concluded 2G was not a scam how did you expect him to prove anything.
This article disappointed me. Coming from the editor and he being Shekhar Gupta disappointed me further. First is the use of the feature image. It is typical to the core of shamelessness to bask in the fame of sensationalism. A positive or a neutral feature image is expected out of Shekhar Gupta.
Secondly, the editor knows, and the sentiment is echoed by the Wire team as well, that Indian judicial system is a big deterrent for honest men willing to target big powers. The big powers use the judiciary to scare the activists and the supposed trouble makers. So he could have, in his analysis, mentioned about that aspect. That this could free Arvind Kejriwal to concentrate on AAP.
Thirdly, the editor has dismissed all the positive achievements of AAP in Delhi specially its focus on education and health. In his dismissal of the party, he could have spared a line about their achievements. It seemed to me that the editor is on his ego trip over some squabbles he may have had with Arvind Kejriwal and now he is taking a personal revenge for a good night sleep.
Fourthly, Shekhar Gupta with his experiences in the corridors of power and politics would know that India has dynastic politics and Godman politics. He knew Jayalalitha, MGR, Mamta Banerjee etc to name a few, and it is mostly about one leader or one family that carries any party. It was Prafulla Mahanta for AGP in 1985, and he too had a fair share of allegation of autocratic behaviour. So pinpointing Arvind Kejriwal and comparing him to Modi is an injustice to both Kejriwal and Modi. An autocrat in a party is not necessarily bad for the nation or the state.
Also, the current politics in India is between BJP and the Others. The Others as we speak is getting formed. Parties like AAP or AGP will lose significance temporarily in that power tussle. Today, India is practically bipolar and even a diehard AGP or an AAPtard will vote for Congress or the ante-BJP party in his or her constituency.
Fifthly, any political party with whatever ideology is formed by the society. If the society has 50% dishonest citizens, then any party formed in that society will have a percentage of dishonest citizens. For an anti-corruption party like AAP, the percentage will be lesser, say, 30% dishonest citizens. That is reality and it somehow misses the intellectual faculty of Mr. Shekhar Gupta when he blames a whole anti corruption movement by the youth of the country of utter failure.
Like a clever politician himself (read editor), he writes in his penultimate line, “You can never say never in politics. We may still see the return of AAP..” but after writing the sub headline of the article as “The foundation on which AAP was built has all but crumbled. And its promise of changing the system and saving India is now a fading memory”
Durlov Baruah, I bothered to read this article thinking it was from Shekhar Gupta and would be an unbiased and objective one. But even a journalist of his stature and reputation has apparently preferred to remain silent on the positive things Kejriwal/AAP has done and play safe by finding faults with Kejriwal, knowing fully well he is a soft target. Soft, because he stands there like a badly bruised man with not even a small stick in his hand, ring fenced and trying his best to fight off an army of adversaries armed to the teeth with lethal heavy weapons . The heavy weapons – the all-powerful, highly compromised and bought out media ever ready to pounce on him even if he sneezes, the state machinery of police, bureaucracy and judiciary and finally the big parties armed to the hilt by the cash-rich corporates who don’t see him or AAP as a worthy investment. And then there are those whose feathers AK has ruffled in the past – rightly or wrongly. The author has mentioned a few of them e.g. PB, YY, Mayank Gandhi, etc. This is a god-sent opportunity for them to get back hard at him.
With his apologies, AK of course looks a sorry figure but isn’t that because in India no prominent figure (read ‘leader’) ever apologises even for murders, genocides, scandals, rapes, mismanagement, you name it. It’s just an accepted view that if you say sorry, you are guilty. If you don’t you are not, no matter how serious a crime you may have done.
Very Tom, Dick and Harry (including Capt. Amrinder, Sidhu, Bajwa, etc. accuses Majithia of drug-peddling, but the case is filed only against AK. Kirti Azad accused Jaitley of DDCA scam but case is filed only against AK. Ram Jethmalani has repeatedly asked for Gadkari’s head on charges of corruption but case is filed only against AK.
As for Kejriwal making allegations against his adversaries, it appears no one has done it before. He is the first one to do it. Modi doesn’t ever accuse his adversaries, Rahul doesn’t and neither does any one else.
As for evidence before accusing, no one, not even the common citizen should call our ‘leaders’ corrupt, scamsters or criminals. Because there is no evidence.
Finally, I feel AK simply has decided not to oblige the two big parties and walk into the trap that they have laid for him by his defiantly sticking to his accusations and lose the cases knowing fully well he stands no chance in winning them. The investigative agencies or the judiciary will not help him there. And his adversaries have the financial muscle as well as power control to trap him as and when they wish.
Whether all this leads to AK being ‘finished’ as many are now saying, well if that is the price to pay, then so be it. India then will have got rid of the biggest threat to its progress and obstacle to a corruption-free society.
I agree with both, this is a sponsored article from the India’s 5% rich that have taken the loans and run the GOVTS with money. They know AAP will disrupt their plans and give the control back to the citizens.
I came to the site from dhruv rathee’s article I am sure if he read this he would be disgusted to!
Another attempt by a paid celebrity to promote congress, like the wire’s vinod dua… we see through you uncle ji!
The scene is sad. Nehru has very rightly wrote after the 1937 elections that democratic elections will slowly filter out the good, replaced by the thick skinned, compromised conscience and the loud voice. He had requested the future generations to think of reforms to counter that.
AAP is a party that has been built up by media. It is high time for the media also to introspect on why it allowed itself to get carried away by someone as shamelessly power hungry as Arvind Kejriwal. Comparing him with Narendra Modi is lazy, as Shekhar Gupta has done here is lazy journalism. Modi has been in politics for decades. If he looses the next election, BJP will choose another leader, as it did when it removed Advani after 2009. Such a possibility does not exist in AAP. It is Arvind Kejriwal first and last.
People could not see through Kejriwal’s superficiality in time. His playground was much smaller; but it was prominent enough for him to play well enough to make a lot of money, which was his final goal – name & fame or abuse & infamy did not make any difference. Currency is accepted at face value everywhere if you don’t question the exchange rate!
Trying to uplift and give a good life to the Indians and to show them the real meaning of Democracy who otherwise has been destined to become and live like slaves to the kings, Britishers and now the Netas and Corporates. Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party is the biggest threat to the Nation at this moment and should be condemned beyond existance.
Stephen Hawking’s quote “Quiet people have the loudest mind” does NOT apply to SHRI Arvind Kejriwal. He is a one-trick pony and that trick is tantrums. His biggest strategic mistake is that he played with his positioning, and as a result ends up as befuddled and self-destructive. His other blunder is that he could neither build bridges with BJP nor Congress (his recent ‘SOS’ to Rahul Gandhi is an example of too-little-too-late), and now both parties will either treat him as political waste or use him as an instrument for their gains (which he will sure allow for his survival, given the latest development). He should have quickly realised that he is a regular run-of-the-mill politician, and made Sharad Pawer his role model instead of Mamta Banerjee.
For AAP to become a political force at the national level, propelling its leader to the PM’s post, was never a realistic proposition. However, having won such an overwhelming mandate in Delhi, a prosperous city state with a lot going for it, it is a pity the party’s government has not been allowed to work, to exercise even the constrained authority the Constitution provides for. 2. Having read Animal Farm in high school, one did not take seriously AAP’s claims of being different, existing on a higher moral plane. Primus inter pares works even less well in India than it does elsewhere in the world. Almost all political formations end up being close to a one (wo)man show. Why that is so could form the subject of another fine weekend column.
Sir, Now Mr. Aravindji is in the right mood, he should also apologise to Mr. Prashanth Bhushan and Mr. Yogendra Yadav, and start rebuilding AAP.
Uncle ji also forgot to mention, he called the them corrupt, to prove he would have needed investigative agencies help. After the courts concluded 2G was not a scam how did you expect him to prove anything.
If I was sued, I would have apologised twice!
This article disappointed me. Coming from the editor and he being Shekhar Gupta disappointed me further. First is the use of the feature image. It is typical to the core of shamelessness to bask in the fame of sensationalism. A positive or a neutral feature image is expected out of Shekhar Gupta.
Secondly, the editor knows, and the sentiment is echoed by the Wire team as well, that Indian judicial system is a big deterrent for honest men willing to target big powers. The big powers use the judiciary to scare the activists and the supposed trouble makers. So he could have, in his analysis, mentioned about that aspect. That this could free Arvind Kejriwal to concentrate on AAP.
Thirdly, the editor has dismissed all the positive achievements of AAP in Delhi specially its focus on education and health. In his dismissal of the party, he could have spared a line about their achievements. It seemed to me that the editor is on his ego trip over some squabbles he may have had with Arvind Kejriwal and now he is taking a personal revenge for a good night sleep.
Fourthly, Shekhar Gupta with his experiences in the corridors of power and politics would know that India has dynastic politics and Godman politics. He knew Jayalalitha, MGR, Mamta Banerjee etc to name a few, and it is mostly about one leader or one family that carries any party. It was Prafulla Mahanta for AGP in 1985, and he too had a fair share of allegation of autocratic behaviour. So pinpointing Arvind Kejriwal and comparing him to Modi is an injustice to both Kejriwal and Modi. An autocrat in a party is not necessarily bad for the nation or the state.
Also, the current politics in India is between BJP and the Others. The Others as we speak is getting formed. Parties like AAP or AGP will lose significance temporarily in that power tussle. Today, India is practically bipolar and even a diehard AGP or an AAPtard will vote for Congress or the ante-BJP party in his or her constituency.
Fifthly, any political party with whatever ideology is formed by the society. If the society has 50% dishonest citizens, then any party formed in that society will have a percentage of dishonest citizens. For an anti-corruption party like AAP, the percentage will be lesser, say, 30% dishonest citizens. That is reality and it somehow misses the intellectual faculty of Mr. Shekhar Gupta when he blames a whole anti corruption movement by the youth of the country of utter failure.
Like a clever politician himself (read editor), he writes in his penultimate line, “You can never say never in politics. We may still see the return of AAP..” but after writing the sub headline of the article as “The foundation on which AAP was built has all but crumbled. And its promise of changing the system and saving India is now a fading memory”
Sad.
Durlov Baruah, I bothered to read this article thinking it was from Shekhar Gupta and would be an unbiased and objective one. But even a journalist of his stature and reputation has apparently preferred to remain silent on the positive things Kejriwal/AAP has done and play safe by finding faults with Kejriwal, knowing fully well he is a soft target. Soft, because he stands there like a badly bruised man with not even a small stick in his hand, ring fenced and trying his best to fight off an army of adversaries armed to the teeth with lethal heavy weapons . The heavy weapons – the all-powerful, highly compromised and bought out media ever ready to pounce on him even if he sneezes, the state machinery of police, bureaucracy and judiciary and finally the big parties armed to the hilt by the cash-rich corporates who don’t see him or AAP as a worthy investment. And then there are those whose feathers AK has ruffled in the past – rightly or wrongly. The author has mentioned a few of them e.g. PB, YY, Mayank Gandhi, etc. This is a god-sent opportunity for them to get back hard at him.
With his apologies, AK of course looks a sorry figure but isn’t that because in India no prominent figure (read ‘leader’) ever apologises even for murders, genocides, scandals, rapes, mismanagement, you name it. It’s just an accepted view that if you say sorry, you are guilty. If you don’t you are not, no matter how serious a crime you may have done.
Very Tom, Dick and Harry (including Capt. Amrinder, Sidhu, Bajwa, etc. accuses Majithia of drug-peddling, but the case is filed only against AK. Kirti Azad accused Jaitley of DDCA scam but case is filed only against AK. Ram Jethmalani has repeatedly asked for Gadkari’s head on charges of corruption but case is filed only against AK.
As for Kejriwal making allegations against his adversaries, it appears no one has done it before. He is the first one to do it. Modi doesn’t ever accuse his adversaries, Rahul doesn’t and neither does any one else.
As for evidence before accusing, no one, not even the common citizen should call our ‘leaders’ corrupt, scamsters or criminals. Because there is no evidence.
Finally, I feel AK simply has decided not to oblige the two big parties and walk into the trap that they have laid for him by his defiantly sticking to his accusations and lose the cases knowing fully well he stands no chance in winning them. The investigative agencies or the judiciary will not help him there. And his adversaries have the financial muscle as well as power control to trap him as and when they wish.
Whether all this leads to AK being ‘finished’ as many are now saying, well if that is the price to pay, then so be it. India then will have got rid of the biggest threat to its progress and obstacle to a corruption-free society.
I agree with both, this is a sponsored article from the India’s 5% rich that have taken the loans and run the GOVTS with money. They know AAP will disrupt their plans and give the control back to the citizens.
I came to the site from dhruv rathee’s article I am sure if he read this he would be disgusted to!
Another attempt by a paid celebrity to promote congress, like the wire’s vinod dua… we see through you uncle ji!
The scene is sad. Nehru has very rightly wrote after the 1937 elections that democratic elections will slowly filter out the good, replaced by the thick skinned, compromised conscience and the loud voice. He had requested the future generations to think of reforms to counter that.
AAP is a party that has been built up by media. It is high time for the media also to introspect on why it allowed itself to get carried away by someone as shamelessly power hungry as Arvind Kejriwal. Comparing him with Narendra Modi is lazy, as Shekhar Gupta has done here is lazy journalism. Modi has been in politics for decades. If he looses the next election, BJP will choose another leader, as it did when it removed Advani after 2009. Such a possibility does not exist in AAP. It is Arvind Kejriwal first and last.
People could not see through Kejriwal’s superficiality in time. His playground was much smaller; but it was prominent enough for him to play well enough to make a lot of money, which was his final goal – name & fame or abuse & infamy did not make any difference. Currency is accepted at face value everywhere if you don’t question the exchange rate!
Trying to uplift and give a good life to the Indians and to show them the real meaning of Democracy who otherwise has been destined to become and live like slaves to the kings, Britishers and now the Netas and Corporates. Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party is the biggest threat to the Nation at this moment and should be condemned beyond existance.
Give him Delhi Police and then see the magic! He will not apologize but will bring all corrupts in jail.
Stephen Hawking’s quote “Quiet people have the loudest mind” does NOT apply to SHRI Arvind Kejriwal. He is a one-trick pony and that trick is tantrums. His biggest strategic mistake is that he played with his positioning, and as a result ends up as befuddled and self-destructive. His other blunder is that he could neither build bridges with BJP nor Congress (his recent ‘SOS’ to Rahul Gandhi is an example of too-little-too-late), and now both parties will either treat him as political waste or use him as an instrument for their gains (which he will sure allow for his survival, given the latest development). He should have quickly realised that he is a regular run-of-the-mill politician, and made Sharad Pawer his role model instead of Mamta Banerjee.
For AAP to become a political force at the national level, propelling its leader to the PM’s post, was never a realistic proposition. However, having won such an overwhelming mandate in Delhi, a prosperous city state with a lot going for it, it is a pity the party’s government has not been allowed to work, to exercise even the constrained authority the Constitution provides for. 2. Having read Animal Farm in high school, one did not take seriously AAP’s claims of being different, existing on a higher moral plane. Primus inter pares works even less well in India than it does elsewhere in the world. Almost all political formations end up being close to a one (wo)man show. Why that is so could form the subject of another fine weekend column.