Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had arrived on the scene in a thundering chariot with anti-corruption and pro-poor slogans, and caught the world’s attention in no time. India’s capital took him to its bosom with such fervour that his party walked away with 67 of 70 Assembly seats in the Delhi Assembly in February 2015. But now it’s time the CM pauses to make a self-evaluation of how well his government has served Delhi, how well he himself has delivered on the spirit of his pro-people and anti-establishment rhetoric, and the degree to which his personal ambitions have soared. Mr Kejriwal has effectively abandoned the state of which he is CM, leaving his job to the second string.
From Punjab he loftily announced Thursday that he would camp in the state till the Assembly polls (next year) and wouldn’t rest until his party won the Punjab polls and had “sent the Badals to jail”. This is not without irony. As Delhi’s problems pile up under his stewardship, and some of his MLAs attract opprobrium due to their escapades, Mr Kejriwal is girding his loins to leave the city-state in the lurch to chance his arm elsewhere in true adventurer fashion. His constituents can’t be too pleased about this. Is this quixotic behaviour or power addiction? The rudderless individuals who make up the AAP leadership may surprise themselves if they win Delhi again while their chief does cliché politics in Punjab. Elected representatives need to be a lot more accountable.
