Hisar native draws a leaf out of Devi Lal’s book
Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal has done to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi what late Devi Lal did in 1987 to Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in the Haryana Assembly polls. Devi Lal’s Lok Dal secured 85 out of 90 Assembly seats. And Devi Lal dealt a blow to Rajiv Gandhi when the Bofors scandal had not even surfaced. After Haryana win, when Bofors surfaced, Devi Lal projected V P Singh as alternative national leader and dislodged Congress in 1989. None had imagined that an Opposition win in a tiny state in Delhi’s neighborhood will have a cascading national consequence. But Rajiv Gandhi kept committing one mistake after the other and with Bofors surfacing the die was cast.
Kejriwal who is native of Hisar in Haryana seems to have drawn a leaf out of Devi Lal’s book. If Devi Lal had promised to waive all bank loans to farmers and provide free water for irrigation to ride to power, Kejriwal did the same for Delhites. In addition, he promised free wi-fi to catch the imagination of the youth. The Kejriwal’s historic win should shock Narendra Modi more because there was no anti-incumbency either against him. At best, he was accused of doing nothing and didn't speak on communal comments made by his party leaders.
The PM mellowed down after the humiliated defeat and was the first to congratulate the “Naxalite” Kejriwal whose place was in jungles, over the phone and invited Kejriwal for “Chai pe Charcha”.
How a Delhi win will shape national politics is too early to comment. But Kejriwal is against forming any front comprising of secular forces. The way West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Janata Dal leader Nitish Kumar, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav and others have heaped praises on Kejriwal. Its clear that a bigger political plot may be written at the new Chief Minister’s residence. Delhi will never be the same again. The disgruntled elements within the BJP were waiting for one opportunity. The Delhi verdict has given it. Now the ruling BJP has been put on notice.
