Arvind Kejriwal’s political career bears testimony to the under-appreciated fact that adherence to a vision for people-centric governance can surmount a political power’s corruptive influence (Editorial, “Delhi at the Centre,” Feb. 17). His transformation from an abrasive, pugnacious politician who revelled in flaunting his chutzpah in combative and politically incorrect ways, into a mellowed and consensus-seeking leader who has his ears firmly planted to the ground has been remarkable. It took some time for him to cultivate the sobriety and sagacity to realise the distractedness and counterproductiveness of fighting unequal battles with the formidable Central government. But once he disembarked from the bandwagon of street-fighting, there has been no going back on the journey to consolidate power by focusing on the mundane livelihood issues that impacted the daily lives of the hoi polloi . He turned his limited powers from a handicap into a blessing as a narrow band of governance offered unlimited opportunities to innovate in areas like health, education, water supply, public transport, etc.
It remains to be seen how the Delhi Chief Minister navigates the brute legislative majority’s twin seductions of invincibility and complacency. It seems prudent to check the ambition to expand the AAP’s footprints as a regional party can only survive and flourish in its circle of competence and influence.
V.N. Mukundarajan,
Thiruvananthapuram
Arvind Kejriwal, who has taken over the reins of office as Delhi Chief Minister for the third time, has obviously decided to bury the hatchet as far as his confrontation with the Centre is concerned and his extending an invitation to PM Modi to attend his swearing in signified that he has decided to let bygones be bygones. (“Kejriwal extends olive branch to Centre after taking oath for third term,” Feb. 17 ). It might not be time yet for Mr. Kejriwal to join the ranks of senior politicians but the AAP leader has proved beyond any measure of doubt that he is keen to adopt a pragmatic approach and get on the same page as the Central government in the interests of the people of Delhi. As a matter of fact, during his second tenure as Chief Minister, Mr. Kejriwal had mellowed down quite a bit and had brokered peace with the Lt. Governors who had been a thorn in his flesh. This had enabled him to concentrate on governance and work towards the development of the National Capital Region and also to secure a better deal for all Delhi-ites. The tremendous amount of goodwill that he had managed to gain has been instrumental in his sweeping the polls in 2020 though the BJP used every trick in the book to bring him to heel.
C.V. Aravind,
Bengaluru
The idea of inviting 50 “ nirmata s of Delhi” as special guests to the swearing ceremony is quite novel and characterises the political and working style of Arvind Kejriwal, the down to earth Chief Minister. His unique politics of “work and performance” has stolen the hearts of Delhi-ites and put him back at the helm to continue his engagement with people’s developmental, welfare and civic issues and find solutions. While the AAP government has been successful to a large extent on education, power and water fronts, the issues of housing, transportation and pollution continues to be formidable. Given the political antagonism and ideological differences, there may not be much of a change in the Centre’s approach towards the Delhi State government. During AAP 2.0, more than half the time was spent bickering with Lieutenant Governor, until the Supreme Court came to its rescue by delineating the respective powers. Mr. Kejriwal should now completely eschew confrontationist attitude and concentrate on solving people’s issues such as pollution, housing, etc., even while continuing the good work on other areas of development and welfare, more efficiently within the given limitations of resources and powers.
Kosaraju Chandramouli,
Hyderabad
