Seeing Kejariwal finally getting arrested and remanded into custody was so much fun. This was long due. The man always presented himself above the law and was probably delusional to think he was a new-age Gandhi. He obviously is not a Gandhi. But he is equally delusional, for sure. The case against him for anti-money laundering is quite robust. His leading acolytes, arrested for being part of the scam, have not seen the sunshine in over a year. Apart from being trusted lieutenants of Kerjariwal, these individuals were also high-ranking cabinet ministers. Yet, neither the High Court nor the Supreme Court has given them bail. The burden of proof of innocence is on the accused in money laundering cases. Suffice it to say these arrested ministers have failed to provide any sort of proof till now. I hope Kejariwal also goes behind the bar for months or years. The spectacular fall from graces is staggering for someone who spearheaded the anti-corruption movement barely a decade ago. He was also astoundingly successful in uniting the country against the sitting central government. Now, he is charged with bribery and money laundering? Even a Hindi movie may need help to develop a better plot than this story.
As I write this article, Kejariwal argues in court that he was arrested without following due process, a severe accusation against central law agencies should lead to his immediate and rightful release from jail if proven. The critical aspect of the defense here is that Kejariwal is not questioning the charges but the process of arresting him. This may be courtroom legal maneuvering. However, the self-proclaimed guru of clean politics holding on to the shreds of procedural lapses to stay out of custody is ironic.
Even if he manages to get out of jail. The damage done to his reputation is likely to be irreparable. That does not mean he will not get elected. Reputation and electability are independent events. But he wore his 'clean' reputation on his sleeves everywhere. It was his USP, his identity. He continued to bark at everyone because of his self-proclaimed clean reputation. Didn't he tightly hug Lalu Yadav publically during a political rally? Didn't he flip-flop politically while forming, then dissolving, only to form the government again with the support of the Congress party? Kejariwal did this political somersault after telling the masses he would arrest the Congress Chief Minister if elected. During the runup for Punjab elections, Kejariwal openly pandered to anti-India Khalistani elements. In the early days of AAP, he provided space for shady elements like Kavita Ramdas, a Pakistani by marriage. And yet, he continued to wear the 'clean' image as his Karna-kavach. The delusion he suffered wasn't his alone. His supporters are equally crazy. The propaganda that he is the only one standing against corruption, against the system, was so strong despite repeated credible allegations of corruption in the Delhi government. He appeared on TV with a photo of Dr. Ambedkar on one side and Bhagat Singh on the other, and yet, he has taken donations from shady foreign NGOs and has done pandering on their behalf. The man questioned our Army after surgical strikes and attempted to create confusion during the Pandemic. The list continues, yet he managed to stay politically relevant. Never pays for his mistakes and designs. He was never held accountable.
Not anymore.
Kejariwal has finally run out of excuses. He will face the consequences of the fraud he implemented. Kejariwal thought he was smart by not being responsible for any ministry that would absolve him of any issues. The law can be blind but not stupid. Kejriwal plans to siphon money were juvenile at best. It's like a cat drinking milk with its eyes closed. The world can still see the cat! Moves made by Kejariwal and his cronies were closely watched. It can be surmised that the powers to be, in fact, waited for Kejariwal and his team to take the steps and make the mistakes. And when the 'plan' was finally in place, the agencies closed in. The proofs were already available and irrefutable. Though the arrests and subsequent drama spread over a year, the end was always evident. Kejariwal was the kingpin of the fraud, and he was the target, as he should be. Our man considered brazening through this by simply refusing to answer the summons or cooperate. He must have tried every trick available for backroom dealings with the government and central agencies to stay out of trouble. He must have also tried pressurizing the central government through his handlers in Germany and the US. But his juvenile shenanigans had gotten on everyone's nerves. You can fool some people sometimes, all the people at one time. But you can only fool some of the people all the time. Kejariwal is about to pay for his sins, but there is nowhere to run!
What's next? If Kerjariwal ended up in jail for an extended period, the AAP would likely go through turmoil. His dictatorial style of managing the party means that no leader is left to run the affairs without him. His couple of trusted lieutenants are already rotting in jail for more than a year now. Not having a credible leader does not mean a lack of ambition. The ambitious people of AAP will likely rise to the occasion or, at least, attempt to do so. This means they will either sideline him or the party will split. The party's voter base used to core Congress voters. The party splitting will further splitter this voter base, indirectly strengthening the BJP. But what will Kejariwal do without power because he is as power-hungry as one can get? It's hard to guess, but he will either go completely mad and do some bizarre political stunts or fade to inconsequential nuisance.
Only time will tell.
