Indian National Congress is India’s oldest political party, which came into existence in the year 1885. In the recently concluded Legislative assembly elections in New Delhi, this party suffered its most humiliating defeat at the hands of a Aam Aadmi: Arvind Kejriwal.
It is a historical win for Aam Aadmi Party, the echoes of which will haunt Congress for a long time to come.
Arvind Kejriwal beat Sheila Dixit, the three-time Chief Minister of New Delhi, right in her constituency by a margin of 25,000+ votes. The unthinkable has happened; a person with passion and zeal has literally overthrown the existing government.
Although BJP also won lot many seats compared to last elections, but the intensity with which AAP and Arvind Kejriwal has entered the political scene of New Delhi has left everyone with awe and shock.
How did it happen?
Didn’t the researchers and analysts of Congress saw it coming? How can one single person, with relatively no ‘political’ experience give such a devastating blow to the experienced political campaigners and that too in New Delhi, the heart of India?
To start with, Congress never took Arvind Kejriwal and his political party AAP seriously. Few months back, she told press that Congress is in direct fight with BJP; AAP doesn’t even qualify as her opponent!
During another TV interview, she thundered, “I would like to ask the AAP what’s your policy, what’s your ideology? What are you going to work for? And what is your record?”
In yet another magazine interview, she proclaimed “Kejriwal is not even on our Radar”
When countered on the charges of corruption, she told, “Both BJP and AAP have been defaming us by alleging that there has been corruption in our government. If you have come across cases of corruption, then please tell us where is the corruption.”
How ironical!
This year, when Arvind Kejriwal had openly challenged Sheila Dixit to reduce electricity rates or else refused to pay for electricity, she had chuckled, “In the last few years, the sale of generators has declined in Delhi and the sale of ACs (air-conditioners) has risen sharply. If you use an AC, you will have to pay its electricity bill. But Kejriwal does not talk about that,”
On one occasion, she said, “The common man doesn’t believe in what Kejriwal is talking about,”.
I am sure she will need to rethink on her speeches and interviews now; the logic she presented has broken all records of nonsense. She has finally admitted that her party has made a major mistake by not gauging the popularity of Arvind Kejriwal.
Not only Sheila Dixit, but other veteran party members too failed to realize that the country needs an alternative to Congress and BJP, and that the power now remains with the common man.
Digvijay Singh once wrote a letter to Arvind Kejriwal, where he described him as, “a self-serving ambitious megalomaniac with scant regard for democracy”.
On another occasion, he Tweeted, “Arvind Kejriwal is like Rakhi Sawant. They both try and expose but with no substance,”
Last year, during an event, he said, “Let Mr Kejriwal first get elected as an MP or MLA or even a municipal corporator,”.
I am glad that Digvijay Singh’s this wish has been granted!
I am sure lots of political writers and publications will now try to post-mortem this amazing win by AAP and Arvind Kejriwal; and lots of new theories may emerge in this aftermath of a major political shuffle. But the fact remains:
This is a win of the common man, who is now hell bent on changing the system.
See this Arvind Kejriwal interview on NDTV, and you will understand why AAP is all about Common Man!
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