Arvind Kejriwal Has Opted For A Big Political Gamble By Deciding To Resign

By Sushil Kutty

Delhi knows Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister for one more day. Then, he will resign and somebody else will take his place. The only difference will be that while Kejriwal out of jail cannot go to the Chief Minister’s Office or sign papers, the replacement will be able to, be a full-time Chief Minister. The Supreme Court was clear that it doesn’t trust Delhi’s most popular politician.

Is Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal an ornery two-bit political hack? Kejriwal will make a mistake if he resigns. Kejriwal did not resign when he was in jail and Kejriwal inside jail was no different from Kejriwal outside jail. Chief Minister Kejriwal couldn’t go to the CMO when he was in jail and Chief Minister Kejriwal outside Tihar still cannot go. Also, Chief Minister Kejriwal in jail could not sign documents and Chief Minister Kejriwal out of jail cannot sign official papers.

So, what’s the big deal? It galls AAP supporters the Modi regime’s petty vendetta though it is the Supreme Court that’s behind Kejriwal’s comeuppance. If anybody can match Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s political guile, it is Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the closest to a rival that the Prime Minister has though people talk of Rahul Gandhi in the same breath.

That being said, Arvind Kejriwal is in a class all his own and Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal are poles apart. Rahul Gandhi does not have the winning streak that Kejriwal has — the avalanches in Delhi, and Punjab. Kejriwal has the potential to repeat the feat in Haryana, too. The INDI-Alliance should not look this gift horse in the mouth, Kejriwal is Midas in flesh and blood.

There are the self-opinionated who were betting on ex-Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to fill the groove, but they forgot Kejriwal is the uncommon aam aadmi! Arvind Kejriwal said he and Manish Sisodia were in the same boat and, therefore, “Manish & I, both of us, will go to the people of Delhi and demand to know whether we’re ‘khattar imaandar’ or not?”

That is a masterstroke that even the BJP IT Cell couldn’t have dreamt up. Kejriwal can run circles round the BJP think-tank, which is populated with the likes of Bansuri Swaraj and Manoj ‘Rinkiya Ke Papa’ Tiwari.’ Manish Sisodia wouldn’t be Kejriwal’s replacement.

Neither will Raghav Chadda, the Rajya Sabha. It will be Atishi Marlena vying with Kejriwal’s wife Sunitha Kejriwal. The Delhi assembly elections are scheduled for February 2025 and the Bharatiya Janata Party is jumpy inside its skin, asking if Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has to resign, why doesn’t he “do it this very moment, today itself?”

The BJP was stunned by Kejriwal’s unexpected surrender. Experts, most of them journalists, say Kejriwal shouldn’t make the mistake of throwing in the towel, not when Modi looks tired, tied and caged. They want Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to be a clear and present danger for Modi, which he won’t be if he allows somebody else to step into his shoes.

There is no Hobson’s choice for Kejriwal, who will be making a mistake if he walks out on Delhi. Who else in AAP has the potential to pull the carpet from under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s feet? The BJP has been stewing in its own juices ever since Kejriwal announced his intention to resign. But why 48 hours? AAP supporters across Delhi have been left guessing, Kejriwal’s ministers included.

Minister of multiple portfolios Atishi Marlena told a news channel that AAP legislators will meet and choose a replacement for Arvind Kejriwal. Will the replacement be Sunitha Kejriwal? Atishi Marlena stayed mum, refusing to be sidelined! The “outgoing Chief Minister s wife” is the best bet for Arvind Kejriwal’s mental balance. Ask a psychiatrist and the diagnosis will be “anxiety.”

So, will Kejriwal do a Lalu Prasad Yadav and pick his spouse over others? The pillow-talk would be entirely political! Come to think of it, Chief Minister Rabri Devi wasn’t much different from Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and whether Sunitha Kejriwal or Atishi Marlena, gender equality will be the winner.

Kejriwal’s “shock decision to resign” is still not 100% sure. “Two days later, I will resign as Chief Minister…Elections in Delhi are months away. I got justice from the legal court, now I will get justice from the people’s court. I will sit on the Chief Minister’s chair only after the order of the people,” said the man who is still tied to ‘Yo Ho Ho! And two bottles of Rum!’

Kejriwal says, “I want to ask the people of Delhi, is Kejriwal innocent or guilty? If I have worked, vote for me.” Arvind Kejriwal wants assembly elections scheduled for February 2025, to be held in November this year. Kejriwal is fighting with his back to the wall. Will Kejriwal bring all of INDI-Alliance to one single block?

Kejriwal says the BJP and Modi Government’s “new game is register cases against opposition chief ministers, from Siddaramaiah to Pinarayi Vijayan to Mamata Banerjee. I want to appeal to non-BJP chief ministers, do not resign if they register cases against you. This is their new game-plan.”

So, why did Arvind Kejriwal, who himself is non-BJP, announce he would resign from the Delhi Chief Minister’s post on Tuesday, what is his “new game-plan”? Will the Delhi assembly be dissolved soon to pave the way for early elections along with Jharkhand and Maharashtra? All these questions have arisen as the Delhi Chief Minister has opted for a big gamble. (IPA Service)