Verdict: Let’s extol AAP’s achievement, let’s blame everything wrong with us on the Centre, don’t let difficult questions pass through, and no matter what the answer is – finally bring it back to how glorious AAP’s government has been.
On 17 July, Sunday, Arvind Kejriwal had his first ‘interactive’ live chat via a dedicated website TalkToAK.com. Ostensibly, the talk was supposed to be a conversation between the AAP chief minister and the aam aadmi. Here’s what it actually turned out to be.
A Rip-off of Modi’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ or a Coincidence?
Kejriwal’s live chat seemed like a direct echo of Modi’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’, a monthly radio programme which debuted in October 2014. A recent highlight of the programme was the January edition when President Obama appeared on it alongside Modi.
The similarity between the two programmes was not lost on many.
This is how Kejriwal had initially commented on it.
We do not believe in staged media interactions. Everything should be transparent. People should ask us questions directly.Arvind Kejriwal
TalkToAK’s defence was that it was an interactive session where people were allowed to send in their questions and converse directly with the Delhi Minister. This leads to the second question.
Did the Questions Seem Controlled?
The questions seemed controlled and regulated. It came across as a programme which subtly attempted to do what the BJP government has been trying to achieve with its boisterous, jingoistic propaganda.
The questions that got through were the ones Kejriwal seemed to have prepared answers for – dismissal of AAP MLAs, AAP’s publicity budget, etc.
The Quint asked him about the vacuuming trucks that had been promised to Delhi to get rid of dust and therefore reduce air pollution. We also asked him about the slum-dwellers of Delhi waiting to be shifted to their allotted flats. But none of these questions managed to get through.
Whether viewers asked him about the several mobile apps for women’s safety, cleanliness, pollution he had promised Delhi is anyone’s guess since no question on related topics were tackled.
The answers were lukewarm and inconclusive. For instance, several people, along with The Quint, asked Kejriwal about what happened to his plans to provide free WiFi to Delhi. This is how he responded:
Wi-Fi is on its way. We’ll do it in two parts. There will be a fire optics network in every house. You’ll be able to use it for Internet, cable TV, telephones, CCTV cameras and many other things. But it will take 2-3 years. In the meantime, there will be a network of hotspots all over Delhi, starting with East Delhi by December-January, unless we are hindered by the Centre.Arvind Kejriwal
Making Tall Claims is Becoming Second Nature to AAP
There was no dearth of tall claims in the two-hour long chat. Please take note of the three highlights:
1. There will be drinking water available directly from the tap in every house in Delhi by 2017.
2. “Modi ji, give me two years and I will ensure that Delhi is cleaner than London.”
3. There will be Internet hotspots in Delhi starting December-January, unless the Centre causes obstacles.
Kejriwal, very conveniently, managed to make more long term promises. By the end of this duration, there would perhaps be other issues to distract people with. Just like that, another set of false promises made by a politician got added to the list.
Stop Blaming BJP for Everything!
Irrespective of the questions asked, they inevitably always led to the glorification of AAP’s work in Delhi. One question that was allowed to get through, maybe as an attempt to reveal the democratic nature of the talk, asked Kejriwal that on the one hand he spends an incredible amount of money publicising the progress his government has made, on the other hand he talks about how Modi is not letting him do his job. How does he reconcile the two?
A moment of satisfaction was allowed to the viewers after Kejriwal’s long monologues, masquerading as a democratic dialogue. But ah, there was something else in store.
The answer: AAP has made so much progress despite BJP. Imagine how wonderful Delhi would be without the BJP.
Kejriwal Not the First Politician to do PR, Then What Went Wrong?
The entire chat ended up seeming like a PR stunt to glorify the ‘progress’ made by the Aam Aadmi Party, in spite of all the impediments put in its way by the BJP. Perhaps that’s what it was supposed to be from the start. So much for an egalitarian discourse.
Having said that, Kejriwal isn’t the first politician to make tall claims, or forget promises, or blame other parties for his failures. However, not coupling it with self-righteousness and a holier-than-thou slant would be a welcome change. Looks like supporting a cheap-metal halo is becoming bit of a burden for Kejriwal.
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