From the happenings of recent weeks, it will be tempting to deduce that Arvind Kejriwal is a Stalinist who, like all autocrats, hates democracy and dissension and loves yes-men. That's what Prashant Bhushan will want us to believe. But the stormy story of the Aam Aadmi Party's internal crisis is far more complicated than such a black-and-white narrative.
The most curious case in the entire episode is that of Prashant Bhushan, who now finds himself virtually out of a party that he and Yogendra Yadav helped Kejriwal to set up amid trying circumstances in 2012.
When the Mahabharata for Delhi's assembly was on, Prashant Bhushan's father, Shanti Bhushan, yet another co-founder of AAP, shockingly trashed Kejriwal, the party's best-known face. Shanti Bhushan had declared that his first two choices as Delhi's chief minister would be Kiran Bedi of BJP and Ajay Maken of Congress (in that order) -- while Kejriwal would be his last option.
The electorate didn't agree. That, of course, is another story.
But when the campaign for the make-or-break Delhi election was on, Prashant Bhushan was conspicuously absent. At one point it wasn't clear to even journalists if he was still in the AAP or not.
For an articulate lawyer who was so silent during those crucial days, he became hyper active within days after Kejriwal, virtually rising from the dead, became the chief minister of Delhi. Along with Yadav, Prashant Bhushan suddenly began denouncing what he said was the lack of internal democracy in the AAP. As he came under fire from Kejriwal supporters, he became more and more bitter.
Even if we assume that all the allegations hurled by Yadav and Bhushan against Kejriwal are true, it defies logic why they were not ready to give the chief minister even six months of peace. Whether one likes it or not, the fact is no one in Delhi voted for Manish Sisodia or the Bhushans or Yadav. It was Kejriwal who defeated Narendra Modi.
The AAP had made electoral history. No institution (AAP included) or individual is perfect. But Kejriwal should have been given a grace period before taking up issues related to the party, that too publicly.
Sadly, Prashant Bhushan and Yadav turned out to be the counterparts of those in the BJP who have tripped Modi with their loud talk on 'Love Jihad', 'Ghar Wapsi' programmes as well as verbal and other attacks on minorities.
Modi paid a price for this in Delhi. The AAP may or may not pay a similar price in the elections it may contest in the months and years to come.
From his revelations at the National Executive in Delhi on Saturday, it is evident that Kejriwal chose to keep quiet all through the elections. But the volcano burst once the battle got over. Kejriwal had only one choice before him: lead a Perfect Party to the liking of Prashant Bhushan and Yadav or aim for a Perfect Victory in Delhi so that the AAP rises from the ashes. He opted for the latter.
Kejriwal, however, has not come out of this mess unscathed. Rightly or wrongly, he is being seen as one who cannot tolerate dissent and who won't accept people who think differently. Booting out Bhushan or Yadav is one thing but easing out former Indian Navy chief L. Ramdas, the AAP Lokpal, without even the courtesy of letting him know that he is being replaced is another matter.
If the AAP has to do alternate politics, it cannot treat every dissident as a foe. If Kejriwal is ready, as he said at Ramlila Maidan, to consult Kiran Bedi and Ajay Maken for the sake of Delhi, surely he must be more considerate to Ramdas. Courtesy is a two-way traffic.
(30.03.2015 - M.R. Narayan Swamy is Executive Editor at IANS. The views expressed are personal. He can be reached on narayan.swamy@ians.in)
Boycott Chinese Products: Even BJP will not be able to oppose the demand of Kejriwal, but experts expressed concern
Arvind Kejriwal, who has become a shrewd player in politics, has been making such demands from time to time, which sometimes is not possible even for the central government to fulfill, but due to
Oli will remain in Nepal, will it be severe or will there be a new equation
The Supreme Court of Nepal has decided to restore the existing Parliament, after which experts assess that the impact of the split in the Nepal Communist Party will be seen on the functioning of the
Exclusive: India-Pakistan Foreign Minister met for the first time after the new government in Pakistan, there was scope for improvement in relations
India-Pak Relation: The Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan have met for the first time after the departure of the Imran government in Pakistan and the coming of the Shahbaz Sharif government.
Monsoon shadow in half the country: Two policemen died due to floods in Assam, and one died due to a cloudburst in Kashmir
The bodies of two policemen, who were washed away in flood waters in Assam's Nagaon district on Sunday night, were recovered on Monday. According to the Assam Police, a team of Kanpur police station
Sri Lanka in Crisis: PM Wickremesinghe's warning - there may be a shortage of food grains; People queued up for many days for LPG
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has warned of a food shortage in the country. He said that till the next sowing season, we will arrange enough fertilizers to increase the yield of the
Covid-19 - Heir to the British Throne, Prince Charles tests positive for coronavirus
यूनाइटेड किंगडम के रॉयल्टी प्रिंस चार्ल्स ने COVID-19 के लिए सकारात्मक परीक्षण
Unilever withdraws Dove and Tresemmé shampoos, carries cancer risk; use with caution
World's leading FMCG company Unilever has withdrawn many of its dry shampoos including Dove and Tresemé. The company revealed that these shampoos contain the carcinogenic chemical benzene. Only
PAK President upset with our film: Arif Alvi said - Movies like Suryavanshi increase Islamophobia, actress Mehvish also has problems with it
Pakistan is upset with Akshay Kumar's recent release 'Sooryavanshi'. Be it President Arif Alvi or actress Mehwish Hayat, everyone is eating the same thing that this blockbuster will increase
Haryana: Rampage on corona suspect's funeral in Ambala, mob attacked police-doctors team with sticks
Amid the fury of the corona virus, there was an uproar over the funeral of the corona virus suspect in Ambala, Haryana on Monday. The matter got so bad that a crowd of 200 to 400 people who attended
Russia Ukraine War: Russia rained missiles in Kharkiv, President of Ukraine Zelensky said - no one can break us
Russia Ukraine War: Russian forces heavily bombed Ukraine's second-largest city Kharkiv on Monday. With this, the Russian army has moved closer to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and Russian tanks and