Opinion by Coomi Kapoor
After the Delhi blow, Arvind Kejriwal undertook a fence-mending exercise with former founders of the India Against Corruption movement and also participated in Vipassana sessions, but a lesson in humility still eludes him.
Kejriwal needs a new platform and is contemplating entering the Rajya Sabha. Although AAP has officially denied Kejriwal will fill the vacant seat in the Upper House following the resignation of AAP MP Sanjeev Arora, who is to contest the assembly by-election from Ludhiana, Kejriwal might have second thoughts if Arora wins his by-election.
Mar 9, 2025 09:59 IST First published on: Mar 9, 2025 at 07:35 IST
After the Delhi blow, Arvind Kejriwal undertook a fence-mending exercise with former founders of the India Against Corruption movement and also participated in Vipassana sessions, but a lesson in humility still eludes him. His trusted MLA Gopal Rai suggested that to restore his image as an aam aadmi (common man), he should move out of his plush Lutyens Delhi home, officially allotted to Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Mittal, and shift to a simple DDA-style house in a middle-class colony. Kejirwal demurred at the suggestion and some suspect that Rai, for his frankness, forfeited his chance of becoming Opposition leader in the Delhi Assembly. Kejriwal’s Z-plus security cavalcade in Punjab reinforces his VVIP status. Kejriwal needs a new platform and is contemplating entering the Rajya Sabha. Although AAP has officially denied Kejriwal will fill the vacant seat in the Upper House following the resignation of AAP MP Sanjeev Arora, who is to contest the assembly by-election from Ludhiana, Kejriwal might have second thoughts if Arora wins his by-election. Significantly, Shailendra Sharma, a close aide of Manish Sisodia, cited the examples of both Indira Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who, when they lost their Lok Sabha seats, looked for an alternative route to Parliament.
Tactical Errors
Two important Congress regional leaders, D K Shivakumar and Shashi Tharoor, are chafing at the bit. Shivakumar claims he was promised the Karnataka chief minister’s post for half the Congress’s five-year term, but his rival Siddaramiah is determined that his arch rival will not succeed him. Shivakumar views it as a betrayal if he is denied chief ministership. Tharoor’s supporters have cited surveys to indicate that he is the most popular Congress leader in the state, yet his party accords him scant significance. Under Rahul Gandhi, it doesn’t pay to flex one’s muscles or send threatening signals by cosying up with the enemy. Tharoor’s detractors in Kerala have mischievously raked up Tharoor’s support for the Adani Vizhinjam port, knowing that for Gandhi, the name “Adani” is like a red rag for a bull. Shivakumar has not helped his cause by taking a dip in the Maha Kumbh and associating with Swami Jaggi Vasudev, that too in the presence of Amit Shah.
Story continues below this ad
Boot to Suit
Just as an uptight American White House correspondent implied that Ukrainian President Zelensky showed disrespect to the Oval Office by not wearing a suit, some old-school Congress politicians wince every time Rahul Gandhi sports a white T-shirt and jeans to Parliament, where the norm is the khadi-kurta. Gandhi’s attire is in fact a statement which appeals to youth who dress similarly and view khadi kurtas as a legacy of a bygone era with khadi losing its symbolism.
Monkey Business
One of the more challenging tasks of the ongoing Central Vista Redevelopment Plan is converting Herbert Baker’s landmark North and South Blocks on Raisina Hill into a museum. The French, who transformed a former royal residence of the kings of France into the Louvre museum, have undoubted expertise and the French government signed an agreement with India last December. But the colonial structures have uniquely Indian problems. One dilemma is how to keep out the hordes of monkeys which descend on the open spaces and climb on the roofs. It will also be a Herculean task to secure and air-condition the structure which has an airy open facade, with columns, high ceilings, majestic staircases, corridors and porticos. Bimal Patel, the architect for most of the re-development, is not involved in this project which falls under the Culture Ministry, not the Ministry of Urban Affairs. It looks as if the deadline of June 2026 for North Block is a trifle ambitious, considering that secretariats in North Block for the finance and home ministries have yet to be emptied to the new offices along Kartavya Path which are still incomplete.
Feeling Let Down
Parvesh Verma had assumed he would be appointed Delhi CM and feels let down by the party. The hint of becoming CM was first conveyed to him when he was asked to stand against Kejriwal from the tough New Delhi constituency instead of his father’s old Shalimar Bagh seat. Though he emerged as the giant killer and defeated Kejriwal, J P Nadda kept him hanging for 10 days after the results before springing the surprise announcement of Rekha Gupta, a first-time MLA, as CM. It was not just the dynasty angle – his father Sahib Singh Verma was a former Delhi CM – which worked against him. The BJP disapproved of Verma and his family members appearing cocksure of getting the post. Verma had driven to the meeting of the newly elected BJP MLAs in an open jeep. He had assumed that since the BJP has no Jat leader in a prominent position, either in the states or the Centre, he was a shoo-in. Even his request for a deputy CM post was denied.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
