No longer bourgeois as swanky cars of party’s legislators drive up to Vidhan Sabha
It was quite a spectacle at the Delhi Vidhan Sabha on Friday as the legislators of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) arrived at the Assembly premises for a photo opportunity. Gone was their pretentious avatar of a “common man” as they arrived in expensive cars. One would recall AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal reaching Ramlila Ground for his swearing-in-ceremony by the Metro while the party MlAs took metro and other modes of public transport. The same scene was witnessed when Chief Minister Kejriwal chose a rickety WagonR to travel to Vidhan Sabha and his poor MlAs replicated him by taking buses, Metro and autorickshaw on the inaugural session. The party had then vowed to finish the VVIP culture but that was for public drivel. The reality was there for everyone to see as the AAP MlAs lined up for the photo session of the 5th Delhi Assembly.
The first Assembly session had seen acrimonious exchanges between BJP and AAP members but it was bonhomie all the way. The political rivals were meeting as if they were separated twins.
AAP members were busy shaking hands and exchanging greetings with each other. What surprised one and all was when former Congress legislator from Okhla Asif Mohammad Khan offered his seat to AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, saying “Sir, please be seated here. Sir, please.”
It would be interesting to mention that the same Asif Mohammed had earlier alleged that AAP had tried to influence him and accused Kejriwal as “radio-jhootistan”.
Kejriwal came in an Innova car followed by his former Cabinet colleague Rakhi Bidlan. The MlAs, across party lines, started assembling at the Assembly lawns from 4 pm. Former Education Minister Manish Sisodia drove in his Swift car. While AAP’s Patel Nagar member Veena Anand made it to the venue in her Fortuner, the party’s Kasturba Nagar member arrived in his Pajero.
The party’s Delhi Cantonment member Surender drove in a Bolero. Only Somnath Bharti, the controversial former law Minister, came by Metro but left with his colleague from Delhi Cantt in his Bolero.
AAP’s Trilokpuri MlA Raju Dhingan, came in a SX4 Dhingan. Interestingly, he was unemployed before be contested the Assembly polls. He had Rs 5,000 in cash and Rs 1,001 in his bank account while his wife had Rs 122 and children Rs 19 in their respective bank accounts. last year, he owned about Rs 40,000 as dues to the power companies.
The photo session began with some members taking their seats in a single row and others standing behind them. Kejriwal, AAP’s convener, wearing his party’s white signature cap, had to sit next to his party’s rebel candidate Vinod Kumar Binny. Janata Dal (United) member Shoaib Iqbal, who too was sitting next to Kejriwal, also greeted him.
About 10 minutes later, Kejriwal was made to sit with Speaker MS Dhir on the one side and BJP’s Saheb Singh Chauhan on the other. Even Manish Sisodia, who was seated in the extreme corner, got up and stood behind Asif Mohammed. Of the 67 members, 52 were present at the photoshoot. After the photo-shoot, nine more legislators turned up. The photo op absentees included Delhi Congress president Arvinder Singh lovely and AAP’s Rohini member Rajesh Garg, who used to travel in his battery-operated rickshaw.
Kejriwal was the first member to leave the venue. Before he left, he shook hands with some BJP MlAs, including Prof Jagdish Mukhi, who till recently was the party’s frontrunner for the chief ministerial post. The AAP convener said he would like to contest from the New Delhi seat but made it clear that the final decision on the matter would be taken by the party only. He said his party was open to all those who believed in its ideology. “I do not make any comments against any individual. My politics is issue-based.”
Mukhi criticised the AAP for declaring him as the saffron brigades CM candidate. “This decision will be taken by (PM) Narendra Modi and (party president) Amit Shah. Who is AAP to announce my name as the party’s CM.”