NEW DELHI: The Arvind
Kejriwal who led AAP in the 2020 polls is quite unrecognisable from the one in 2015, who frequently lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and squabbled with the LG over files. Even before the LS polls, he warned parents that if they wanted their children to become chowkidars, they could vote for Modi.
But since then, Kejriwal has done a course correction, refusing to pitch himself against Modi, instead implementing an agenda aimed at projecting himself as Delhi’s best bet. He didn’t contest Modi being the popular choice for the Centre, rather positioning himself as a leader with ideas and zeal when it comes to Delhi.
The chief minister began paying more attention to governance, countering the perception that he is uncaring about development. In doing so, he reworked his image of being incessantly at war with the Centre, demanding more powers for Delhi government while not using the authority and the budget he had.
The populist appeal of low power and water bills and free bus rides for women, along with steps to improve schools and access to health facilities blunted BJP’s charge of Kejriwal being an “anarchist”. It made him seem less a flash-in-the-pan phenomenon; his hybrid model of politics seemed more credible than a protester who became CM propelled by circumstance and fate.
Kejriwal stayed on message right through – basically, around the “delivery” of services – and engaged with divisive issues like CAA and Shaheen Bagh only when he had to. He refused to endorse the protests directly, saying it was for the Centre to clear the blocked road in Kalindi Kunj. Instead, he set off on a temple run, recited the Hanuman Chalisa, and declared AAP as “hardcore nationalist”.