Has Kejriwal, Crusader Of Common Man Fallen Prey To Intoxication Of Power?

India Against Corruption brought Arvind Kejriwal to lime light as figure not less than an epitome of honesty potent enough to garner support of the masses creating an illusion of utopia paving way for the formation and meteoric rise of the Aam Aadmi Party appears like a dream or a reverie from which no one wishes to wake up. The promising dream seems to have changed into a nightmare with revelations one after the other tarnishing that ideal image to lowest standard of political propriety.

He came like Caesar ‘I came, I saw, I conquered’ but the turn of events forebode an altogether different ending i.e. Caesar was stabbed by those on whom he built his trust while our Kejriwal ditched those who build their trust on him. We visualise Anna Hazare, Shanti Bhushan, Kumar Vishwas, Kiren Bedi, Shazia Ilmi, Kapil Mishra, Ashutosh Gupta, Yogendra Yadav and the likes uttering with bewilderment “You too Kejriwal !” Same is the plight of the common masses who bestowed their faith in him. Their dreams and aspirations to witness a better governance stand shattered as his real face is being unveiled.

I cannot but philosophize on basic nature of man as the poet and saint Tulsidas says, “Nahin As Janma Jag Mahi, Prabhuta Payi Jahi Mad Nahin”. That is to say “there is no such being born who does not get intoxicated after having positioned in a position of power”. Lord Acton’s dictum “All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. Only a man endowed with strong character and detachment (Vairagya) or mortification can handle power with objectivity and judiciousness. Weaklings are likely to fall prey to power.

The Delhi Liquor Policy case and the house renovation case have raised eyebrows of political fraternity within the AAP. Galore of irregularities of serious nature indicating gross corruption have surfaced in front of the investigating agencies. Moreover, the public opinion is rapidly going against the Kejriwal Government so much so that Party workers at the grass root level are losing enthusiasm and confidence. Some top brass of the party are poised to benefit from the rapidly changing power struggle equations.

Stories about the so called ‘Sheesh Mahal’ are trending on social media distorting the caricature created by Kejriwal of Kejriwal in 2012. A crusader of common man and an embodiment of simplicity and honesty acting as a foil to the VIP culture is being seen as weak man who succumbs to the intoxications of power and becomes prey to greed, luxuries, aristocracy and illusioned by false self-belief commits blunders. His incapability to wield power is depicted in the manner he appears to handle the media by giving exorbitant adds just to veil his miss governance. 

When a man is intoxicated by alcohol, he can recover but when intoxicated by power he seldom recovers. He might say one day like late Nixon after infamous Nixan-Gate, “its’s all over”. —The Hawk