Why Kejriwal needs to stop being a mock ‘freedom fighter’

The recent satyagraha called by the Aam Aadmi Party over the Delhi metro fare hike sums up the philosophy of Arvind Kejriwal. Ever since his heady rise to power in the Capital, post the Anna Hazare hunger strike, Kejriwal has continued to portray himself as a Gandhian, a modern day ‘freedom fighter’ against forces that he believes continue to curb the ‘freedom’ of Indians.

The AAP leader’s tactics have not changed despite being in the seat of power. A look at his political biograph tells us as much. From organising the ‘Civil Disobedience Moment’ in 2012 to protesting rising power tariffs, to a dharna he organised as the Chief Minister against a ‘corrupt’ police force in 2014, to allowing AAP legislators to camp outside the LG’s home in August this year, Kejriwal continues to believe his USP lies in agitation — to stir up the common man to attack parties and institutions. Despite setbacks, current events show that he is unlikely to change his politics.

Kejriwal’s brand of politics prompts us to ask several questions. Do we want and need an agitationist Chief Minister? Do we still believe that the Gandhian methods of dharna, civil disobedience and satyagraha are necessary tools today? Finally, if Kejriwal and AAP were to be sidelined in the future, would it matter?

There are no easy answers to any of these questions but certain trends have emerged. Kejriwal’s brand of ‘protest politics’ has ensured that relations between Delhi and the Centre will never be the same again. Growing law-and-order issues and the sanitation workers strike just before Diwali has prompted many Delhiites — even those who do not like Kejriwal — to ask why the Chief Minister is not in control of these matters.

Such awareness will ensure that future Delhi CMs — even those who may be from the same party ruling at the Centre — increasingly assert themselves. What impact this has on Delhi and the nation remains to be seen.

Having said this, Kejriwal’s ‘Gandhian’ methods of agitation are not working for him. Why? Unlike the West, which admiringly views protesters as those fighting for a cause, in India, people by and large treat agitators with contempt. They are weak, poor, unfortunate, and they are holding me up from my work, is the common refrain. Kejriwal’s bid to be the constant agitationist and that too while in power, is projecting him to be all these things.

The other thing the AAP leader doesn’t realise is that he is agitating over the wrong issues. Take the metro fare hike. This is the national Capital and price rise doesn’t bother the common man as much as he thinks. If, instead, he had stated that the metro fare hike would deter women — especially economically challenged women — from taking the metro, he would have been seen as a true ‘Gandhian’. Let us not forget that in Delhi, metro is perceived as the only safe mode of public transport for women.

The tragic thing for Kejriwal is that he had the ammunition to do just that. All he had to do was play the statesman, voice his concerns and let the media and public do the rest.

Can Kejriwal grow and mature? Can he keep his flock together? Does India need his brand of politics? While the verdict is out on the first two questions, the answer to the third is ‘yes’. We do need Kejriwal. In a country which has two major national parties, and powerful regional parties in various states, Kejriwal, despite his flaws, provides an alternate pan-India viewpoint, which can force major parties into looking at issues that could have been easily dismissed.

Take the case of Gauri Lankesh’s murder. If Mamata Banerjee, Nitish Kumar or any other state leader had taken up the issue, it would not have the same impact as Kejriwal had. Kejriwal has a certain ‘nuisance value’ that is very hard for any politician to ignore. He, for the right or wrong reasons, creates headlines and so is likely to provoke a response that others may not be able to elicit, at least not to the same extent.   

But why is Kejriwal still listened to? It could be that he is a self-made political man with his own party that still commands respect. As a result, people will give him a patient hearing whether he is speaking in Delhi or Bengaluru or Varanasi.

The tragic thing though is Kejriwal does not realise his power and chooses instead to use dharnas and decibel levels to get his point across. This Gandhian agitationist now needs to realise that agitation will only get him so far and it’s time he donned a new avatar.