There is a saying that five years is a very short time in politics. However, in the case of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi, five years has witnessed epochal changes. The party which was found on the foundations of a public movement for probity in public life and with a demand to appoint an ombudsman to political executive accountable, is today fighting pitched battle to thwart all moves for probity.
Initially Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel had objected to this order that there is was no law stating that Speaker and MLAs to be asked to declare their assets before the Lokayukt. Speaker doesn’t come under the ambit of the Lokayukt but MLAs do come and they must file the required details to the Lokayukt.
The Lok Ayukta has asked all the members of Delhi Assembly to submit details of their assets. This order from the ombudsman is in harmony with the demands of the Lokpal Movement of 2011 led by anti-corruption leader Anna Hazare, with then social sector activist Arvind Kejriwal being his chief lieutenant and deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia as the head of the volunteer force.
Today all the 50 Aam Aadmi Party MLAs including chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy and my constituency’s representative Rajesh Rishi have today refused to submit the details. This despite two BJP MLAs and one rebel AAP MLA Kapil Mishra have provided details of their assets.
This brazen denial has raised eyebrows of many including the Lokayukt. This also shows the real character of the so-called crusaders against corruption. When the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)was formed, it claimed it’s sole objective of eradicating corruption from the country and they had then time and again claimed to have proof against leaders of every political party and their leaders. However, they failed to provide anything. Now no one is ready to submit detail about their assets.
I recall Janakpuri MLA Rajesh Rishi, who was on the forefront of the entire anti-corruption movement. Today he is also shying away from providing details. This shows hypocrisy of the AAP leadership in particular.
The anti-corruption drive had mobilised the entire country. The so-called crusader against corruption – incumbent Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal -- got overwhelming majority in the Delhi Assembly elections for his fight against corruption. But as time passed by, the let-down by the AAP has been unprecedented with allegations of scams in almost all schemes started by them and also of personal corruption against their leaders.
The party has failed to maintain a healthy democracy within too, forcing many of its founder members to resign resigning feeling dejected by the way the chief minister and party chief Arvind Kejriwal is acting in a strange way sometimes sitting on a dharna against its own government.
The party whose main objective of coming into existence was passage of Lokpal Bill which made all public representatives answerable to the citizens of India, is by its recent act is working contrary to its ethos and principle. The AAP government in Delhi is doing everything except working on promises it made to people of the city.
(The author is a senior Delhi BJP leader and party’s spokesperson)