The Aam Aadmi unsettles Mumbai

The former Chief Minister of Delhi landed in Mumbai and in true-blue Aam Aadmi style, caught an auto-rickshaw from the airport to Andheri Station, while traveling through Aam-Aadmi Party candidate Mayank Gandhi's constituency. One would think the public could see through his attention-seeking ploys after the Delhi debacle. Evidently not. 

He was welcomed with open arms by AAP supporters and the local people alike, as he boarded a slow train from Andheri to Churchgate; in a bid to show that he too can brave the force of the local trains that millions use everyday.

Never mind that Rahul Gandhi used the same tactic in 2010 when he visited Mumbai.

Or the fact that this strategy bothers several thousand real "Aam-Aadmis', who actually have to get to work via the same train.

Or that there was security at each entry into the compartment; and the compartment was filled with AAP supporters. Where is the interaction with the real public here?

At Churchgate station, the crowds hailing him increased, and in their joy of seeing their beloved leader, they managed to damage 3 metal detectors guarding an entry into the station. So, as of now, an entry into one of the largest and most popular stations in Mumbai is completely unprotected, leaving millions in danger without a deterrent to attacks.

When a smiling, and possibly star-struck police officer, who was a witness to the welcome; was asked who knocked over the metal detectors and if they had received any complaints regarding the same, he said, "No one complained against Kejriwal. In fact it was the public, and not the AAP supporters, who damaged the detector, in a bid to reach Kejriwal. How many people can fit through these detectors anyway? It was bound to happen. Even if a superstar had boarded a train, we would had the same reaction,".

He also added, "People who missed a train because of the jostling crowds, can just catch the next one. How does it matter?"; when asked if he thought the people waiting for the trains were inconvenienced.

Arvind Kejriwal is in Mumbai to attend fund-raising conferences, and provide support to the AAP candidates standing from Mumbai, such as Meera Sanyal and Medha Patkar, for the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections.

Unnati Ghia is member of dna's shadow editorial board