Arvind Kejriwal’s insensitivity and then his apology, after Gajendra Singh’s tragic death, bring to light the fact that the Delhi Chief Minister is becoming a serial offender.
Apologising His Way to Power
Arvind Kejriwal made it to the Delhi CM’s chair thanks to a fractured mandate in 2013.
But then, his immaturity as a politician became apparent. The ‘dharna’ CM whimsically resigned after failing to push the Janlokpal Bill through, after just 49 days in power.
Campaigning for another Delhi election less than a year later, Kejriwal realised that the people of Delhi felt immensely let down and angry.
Kejriwal said sorry. Again and again. From sorry sabhas to rallies peppered with apologies at having resigned, Kejriwal had begged for a second chance.
It was this humility that the people identified with and gave him another shot at governance.
And what a shot it was!
With 67 seats out of 70 in his pocket, Kejriwal led the Aam Aadmi Party to a historic win in Delhi in the Assembly Polls held in February.
Making a Spectacle Out of a Tragedy
Only one word cuts it. Bizarre.
As Gajendra Singh hanged himself and bystanders clambered up the tree to bring Singh down, Arvind Kejriwal continued his speech, as if impervious to the drama that was unfolding metres away.
To make matters worse, senior AAP leader Ashutosh later dug a deeper grave when he stated caustically, “the next time when such a thing happens, we will make sure that Arvind Kejriwal leaves the dais and climbs up a tree himself and brings the farmer down.”
Not only were Ashutosh’s comments in poor taste, but primary eyewitness Kejriwal kept a cool distance for 48 hours, following which he deigned to apologise - a move that comes across as a half-baked attempt at silencing the critics.
While Kejriwal has made no bones about the fact that he had trouble sleeping, he remains far removed from the grief that Singh’s family is grappling with.
As he often does, Kejriwal appended his apologies with a litany of excuses, implicating the Delhi Police for “not listening” to him, simply because they were controlled by the centre.
Not only did Kejriwal, prima facie, allow the tragedy to unfold, but it now appears ironic that the man who was once an epitome of a ‘sensitive’ and ‘clued-in’ politician is cause for much grief in a little Rajasthani hamlet.
The people forgave Kejriwal once in the form of a huge mandate. This time round, Mr CM, it’s too little too late.
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