In Punjab, AAP is spreading itself too thin
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which came to power in Delhi with a massive mandate last year, now plans to contest the Assembly election in Punjab in 2017. AAP convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is confident that his party will win in Punjab. The populist Twitter leader claimed that AAP is receiving more support in Punjab than it did prior to the election in Delhi. He is hopeful in making it to the Punjab Assembly as he is of the opinion that the people have lost faith in the State’s Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP coalition Government. There has been an allegation that AAP will be giving party tickets to Khalistani leaders in the upcoming poll. However, Kejriwal has brushed aside all these charges.
Kejriwal's road to power was propelled by a large scale anti-corruption movement primarily led by social activist Anna Hazare. With sharp manoeuvring tactics and self declared gospels of power to the people, Kejriwal gradually turned the anti-corruption movement into a political party. Eventually it worked for him. However, his dismal record of delivering and blaming the BJP and the Congress for all of Delhi's woes does not help Delhiites at all. Now, he has also accused the SAD-BJP Government and its Ministers of running a huge drug cartel. He has also said that in every house in Punjab, there is a drug addict. leveling these kinds of charges without any credible evidence could be counter-productive for the AAP. While commenting the charges against Jawaharlal Nehru University students union leader Kanhaiya Kumar, he had earlier said that the Government should have caught those who raised anti-national slogans. Also he said that one of the protesters claimed that those who raised anti-national slogans was a plant from the Intelligence Bureau. It seems like Kejriwal is harping on his anti-BJP rhetoric everywhere, including Punjab. His pre-poll predictions say that Congress will be decimated and the ruling alliance won't get more than 10 seats.
Vowing to repeat the Delhi mandate in Punjab, he has promised to reconstruct a nasha mukt (drug free) Punjab, where not even a single farmer will commit suicide. Making tall promises without sensing the real implementation of the same has become a habit with Kejriwal. While taking the AAP to Punjab, he must remember that Delhi is not only a city state, but that it also houses the capital of the nation. Therefore, Delhi needs a credible administrator or at least a Chief Minister who doesn’t make false promises all the time. This would make Kejriwal’s journey in Punjab better and easier. Any citizen can easily make out he is simply blaming the BJP either for issues related to security or cleanliness of the city, saying that both the Delhi Police and the Municipal Corporations are under the control of the Union Government. Is this the way to get rid of responsibilities of governanceIJ Is this how he is planning to make Delhi a world class cityIJ An able and accountable administrator would have quietly worked instead of playing the blame game. He must remember that Delhi deserves much more than a net savvy ‘Bol Bachchan'; while Punjab, an entirely different political turf, demands an experienced, grassroot politician.