Dear Mr.Kejriwal,
I write this letter to you as another of your kin~ ‘aam-aadmi’.
I have always been appreciative of the services you rendered to the general
public by strongly standing for causes like the RTI and Right to Service. It was
impressive to be a witness to the startling victory your party AAP made in its
debut during the recently held elections. It is even more commendable that a
person with no earlier political roots shot to the office of the CM of our
National Capital in so less time. The kind of person you are- educated, sensible
and responsible, I assume you will also take my criticisms as seriously as my
support.
My disappointment begun from the day, you sought support
from all the auto-rickshaws in Delhi who rallied on your behalf in support of
anti-corruption. Being a temporal resident of Dilli, I found the auto-rickshaws
most uncooperative to women, let alone general citizens. They would blatantly
refuse the right to travel on meter and the occurrence was not an isolated one.
You went a step further asking people not to pay their electric bills which
come as a surprise to me. (Erstwhile official of the Revenue department who
better than you knows how the government’s economy functions?).
Your boarding into the seat of the Chief Minister brought
along with its power, great responsibilities. The post of the CM is a constitutional one. The
role is way different from what was expected from you as an activist. You are
expected to uphold the ethos of the democratic set-up while your dharnas and
all the very more repeated ones have attracted widespread remarks of spreading
anarchy. I cannot say for sure whether it is wrong to be an anarchist on your
part. Even Gandhiji was accused of being so by the colonial regime. But he was
fighting an alien power. Who are you disorienting from stability?? Your own
system! Here again I would draw a basic difference between Gandhi and being
Gandhi-like. Gandhiji had the ability to start and stop a movement with relative
ease. Even by the word of the mouth, he could bring to stall the non-cooperation
movement after the chauri-chaura incident when he realised that people did not
in reality understand the meaning of Non-Cooperation. Even his staunchest
critiques abided by his instructions in letter and spirit. Do you think you
equal his abilities Mr.Kejriwal in this respect? Capable of holding back the
mobocracy you initiate (sorry again for the use of strong words.) Here again I
like to point out that Gandhiji had great restraint in words and actions even
during his frequent dharnas, the trait you seem to be seriously lacking.
At a recent interview with CNN-IBN, when the doubts were
posed that with such actions “aapki sarkar to bahut jald gir jayegee” and your
answer to it: “Yahan sarkar bachane kaun aya hai”.. I am of the view that you
serve only when you continue to be in power, else you end up ‘A FAD!’. Your
quick granting of free water and discounts on electric bills looked more or
less like populist measures, the like Indians have always had doses from their politicians.
As a former official with the central government I expected you to do
invaluable job in filling the voids of implementation of the laws already in
place which is the biggest loophole in the system rather than demand for new
ones.
Here again, I would like to remind you Mr.CM that AAP was
the idea on which many youths and unhappy Indians banked their hopes on. I
encountered many individuals at my workplace and elsewhere who extended
unconditional support to your ideas. They strongly feel that a person highly
educated from one of the premier institutes, trained well in the central
government system would have a lot to offer in experience and intentions for
the well-being of the citizens. The relief the freshness of your party brought
in could be well perceived ubiquitously. So kindly, do not disappoint them.
Because if you fail.. their hopes will as well..miserably. The voices that
stand united today, will dare not stand up for the right cause in the near
future
As I end this long letter, I would like to draw a contrast
between why my views about your actions earlier and now. Whereas earlier you
stood for something (RTI etc), nowadays you always seem to stand up against
something/someone (Sonia Gandhi, Congress et al). The need here is to focus and
focus on the essentials. It is important for you to keep in mind that people
will always judge you from a high moral ground, the ideals you stand for. Your
defending Mr.Somnath Bharti for his reckless actions only strengthened the
opposition’s voice.
I would end simply by stating that it is time to keep the
promises that one made while fondly remembering the lines.. “Miles to go before
I sleep”.
