Minutes before the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national executive meeting got underway at his residence in North Delhi’s posh Civil Lines, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal got an e-mail questioning his adherence to transparency, his commitment to the cause of the Lokpal Bill and his treatment of dissent and dissenters from Shailesh Gandhi, the former Information Commissioner and his colleague in the RTI movement.
Introducing himself an “ aam aadmi ” and pondering over whether his e-mail would actually elicit a response from Mr. Kejriwal, Mr. Gandhi began by commending him for bettering the lives of the citizens of Delhi but expressed certain concerns related to his way functioning, which were serving as impediments to restoring the AAP to its “pristine promise”.
“I am sure you have taken a lot of good steps to better the lives of people in Delhi. I have noticed the fact that among other things you have focused on education, health and some other important sectors...You have been one of the champions of transparency and RTI and your national recognition came because of this. However, the Delhi government does not appear to have improved on the transparency score nor adherence to RTI,” Mr. Gandhi, who is currently on vacation in the United States, wrote.
Based on what he said was his interaction with several RTI activists in the Capital, the Central Information Commission (CIC) and some of the most staunch of his own supporters, Mr. Gandhi said, had revealed that there was no significant improvement in suo moto disclosure under Section 4, or even the responses being given to RTI applications.
Arguing that the Lokpal was an area which had been of concern to the people of the nation, played a significant role in adding to his recognition and triggering his resignation as Chief Minister, Mr. Gandhi noted, was still missing “a full nine months” after being “given an unprecedented majority in Delhi”.
“It appears that your enthusiasm for a Lokpal has waned after your party’s Lokpal was not pliant enough and was dumped unceremoniously.”
Citing the desertion or expulsion of many his colleagues including Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav, Medha Patkar, Shazia Ilmi and Madhu Bahduri, and subtly comparing him to Indira Gandhi, he asked whether Mr. Kejriwal had come to believe whether “Arvind is AAP and AAP is India”.
“Amongst the five member team which was to present the nation’s voice at the Lokpal Bill negotiation team with five Ministers, only you remain in solitary splendour...Your implied argument appears to be that they were not serving the interests of the nation. You appear to believe that ‘Arvind is AAP, and AAP is India’.”
“All these people have a long record of public service and integrity. You were a great champion of the right to dissent and transparency. It appears that you ensured the exit of those who dissented, or questioned the ethical and moral dimensions of some of your actions. At the very least be transparent about your meetings and the reasons for your decisions,” Mr. Gandhi said.
