Kejriwal's Speech Is A Mix Of Symbolism And Pragmatism

A mix of symbolism and pragmatic straight talk marked the post swearing in address of Arvind Kejriwal at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi. As the anti-corruption crusader took oath for the second time at the same venue, which hosts the symbolic destruction of ego and arrogance every Dussehra with the burning of the effigy of king Ravana at the hands of Lord Rama every year, he reminded his party colleagues and followers to keep away from both human weaknesses.

Why Are So Many AAP Lok Sabha Candidates Withdrawing?

By M H Ahssan | INNLIVE

EXCLUSIVE Nowadays, Aam Aadmi Party is undergoing the crucial metamorphosis or crisis. Many loksabha contenders withdrawn from the fray, reason: unknown. This situation makes many others to think twice in their decisions or to review and opt with alternative safeguards. This dilemma makes AAP top brass in jinx and they are forced to make the war-footing policy changes.

Mudar Patherya, social activist and AAP candidate for the Kolkata South Lok Sabha seat has withdrawn from the fray citing medical reasons. Patherya had been at the forefront of civil society protest when Rizwanur Rahman was found dead following police harassment after he had wed Priyanka Todi, daughter of hosiery magnate Ashok Todi of the Lux brand in Kolkata. By that token, Patherya was a known face.

What's The Truth Behind People Leaving Aam Aadmi Party?

By Likha Veer | INNLIVE

THE BIG TOP STORY The Aam Aadmi Party continues to take blows from within. Even as the party diverts all its energies to the big contest in Varanasi where Arvind Kejriwal takes on Narendra Modi in a David vs Goliath contest on May 12, elsewhere members keep deserting it. In the latest in what has become almost a weekly affair, Maulana Qazmi, a member of the AAP national council, quit on Tuesday. 

Editorial: Indian Lokpal Bare Raas Leela To Dabangg Style!

By M H Ahssan | INN Live

Political potboiler starring Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal, RaGa and Preet Bharara. For those who thought the drama of desi life, all our ishkiyaon-dishkiyaon as Sanjay Leela Bhansali's blockbuster Raam-Leela quips, thrives only in Bollywood, think again. Our netas beat our abhinetas anytime, their posturing making 70 mm look small! 

Indeed,star-studded antics surrounding unveiling of the Lokpal Bill 46 years after a nation awoke to its destiny,as Jawaharlal Nehru put it, and smelt the coffee tops any filmi plot.

Just flashback to the beginning of the movie,sorry,movement for an anti-corruption Lokpal Bill, when satyagrahi superhero Anna Hazare lay fasting for corruption-free times.

Delhi 67% Polls Recorded, Exit Polls Crown AAP Winner

An estimated 67% turnout was recorded on Saturday in the crucial Delhi assembly polls where BJP and AAP were locked in a battle royale, outcome of which may have ramifications on the national political landscape.

"Around 67% polling was recorded. However, we are still yet to get the final figure as voting continued beyond scheduled deadline of 6 PM," Delhi's Chief Electoral Officer Chandra Bhushan Kumar said.

Why Kejriwal Wrong Contesting Against Modi In Benaras?

By M H Ahssan | INNLIVE Bureau

ELECTION ANALYSIS The Aam Admi Party’s Arvind Kejriwal was brilliant tactically in going after Narendra Modi in Varanasi. He has got media coverage for being brave enough to challenge Modi in a Lok Sabha seat that the Bharatiya Janata Party considers itself well placed. 

On the other hand Varanasi, a small town with a small town’s conservatism, is a place in which the Aam Admi Party has no presence. It has neither a large organisation there, nor has it the community that it built in Delhi through its long agitation. So it is probable that Kejriwal will put up a good fight against Modi but will lose. 

AAP Hires Kejriwal's 'Lookalikes' To Protest All Over India

By Paagal Patrkaar | Delhi

SATIRE Excited with nonstop media coverage of Delhi protest, Aam Aadmi Party has hired hundreds Kejriwal lookalikes to be sent off to different parts of India, especially in rural India.

AAP’s move is being seen as a huge step toward taking the “honesty revolution” in rural areas after making urban India, especially Delhi, the hub of honesty.

Media experts say that this will certainly boost party’s regional media coverage aspirations.

“Earlier it was Anna, now it’s Kejriwal. So it’s time to move from ‘Main bhi Anna’ to ‘Mani bhi Kejriwal’ and this is the first step towards reinforcing this belief,” an expert said.

Is Congress Silently Using AAP To Clip Modi’s Wings?

By M H Ahssan | INN Live

Arvind Kejriwal's avatar in the national scenario as the leading force behind Aam Aadmi Party must have given some respite to the Congress strategists who are still searching for ways to prevent BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi from occupying 7 Race Course Road. Perhaps the dichotomy for the Congress must be either to choose both as targets or to use one against another and it looks like they have quietly chosen the second formula. 

"Congress has got a reincarnation in the name of AAP. I fear that the strategy that of the Congress is to cut into the vote share of the BJP to prevent Modi. The broom is held by the hand," BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi told INN Live during a panel discussion.

Can Kejriwal Avoid Repeat Of 1989 VP Singh Phenomena?

By Rajdeep Sardesai (Star Guest Writer)

COMMENTARY The ubiquitous Rotary Clubs are a decent indicator of the urban upper middle class mood. Rotarians are often professionals with a conscience: from blood donation drives to charity runs, they like to feel involved with public service. One of my first assignments as a journalist in 1989 was to cover a Rotary Club event in Mumbai. 

The guest speaker was Vishwanath Pratap Singh who had just left the Rajiv Gandhi government to form his own Jan Morcha. The hall was abuzz with excitement: bejewelled South Mumbai ladies and their powerful husbands were in a tizzy. "Isn't he just the kind of man this country needs?" was the dominant chorus. My story was headlined: "Middle class messiah takes South Mumbai by storm!"

A House For Kejriwal, Futility Of Competitive Austerity

By D P Satish (Guest Writer)

WEEKEND SPECIAL Referring to Mahatma Gandhi's austerity, Sarojini Naidu, freedom fighter and a close associate of Mahatma had once famously said "it costs a lot to keep him poor." There is no doubt that Mahatma Gandhi personified simplicity and humility in public life. He is its gold standard. But, some of his austerity measures like drinking goat's milk, walking long distances etc were not really too austere or simple.

The newly elected chief minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal considers Mahatma his inspiration and guide. He won the election by promising a simple and accountable government. In his eagerness to distinguish his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) from other well established 'arrogant' political parties, Kejriwal is encouraging a competitive austerity.

Kejriwal, NaMo In Varanasi: Dead Rubber Or Clash Of Titans

By Purohit Sabharwal | Delhi

Be it BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi or AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, both have parachuted to Varanasi for their epic battle in the Lok Sabha elections. Political pundits are of the opinion that while one is attempting to consolidate the Hindu voter base, the other is trying to position himself as an effective primary opposition. 

It is unlikely that Kejriwal will be able to pip Modi but even a defeat will ensure that AAP fills the vacuum created by Congress as an opposition to the Gujarat chief minister. "We are now in a position to challenge the political fixing. Till date we have seen that BJP won't put up anyone strong against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. 

'Sheila Dixit Ki Bewakoofi': The Fall Of The Lutyens Regime

By Aniket Sharma | Delhi

Bewakoof hain na hum," snapped a weary Sheila Dikshit when asked if she underestimated the Aam Aadmi Party. The quote unwittingly summed up the cluelessness of Delhi's political elite of which Dikshit was a leading light. More than the Congress party's decimated numbers, it is the former Chief Minister's personal fate that tells the bigger story. 

In the months leading up to the election, Dikshit dismissed Arvind Kejriwal with typical upper class condescension. “My reaction to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is nothing,” she told Tehelka, “Absolutely nothing.” It was the kind of hauteur only a politician of Dikshit's pedigree could summon.

Will Anna Hazare 2.0 Give Us Our Next Arvind Kejriwal?

Anna has announced a two-day token agitation on February 23 and 24 against the recently amended land acquisition act by the Centre. Will this give birth to a new political movement?

The rise of the Aam Aadmi Party within just two years of its formation is truly remarkable. From winning an impressive 28 seats in the 2013 Delhi election, then getting decimated in the Lok Sabha elections and finally winning record 67 seats in the recent Delhi elections, the AAP has had a rollercoaster ride throughout its existence.

AAP Can Turn Out To Be The Game-Changer In Poll 2014

By Newscop | INNLIVE

ANALYSIS A group of activists that used to take up issues of public interest and worked mostly as pressure and interest groups had come together to form a party one day which transformed them from being activists to politicians!

The issue-specific workers now had bigger a aim to pursue a much clearer objective. The bunch of greenhorns, mostly young enthusiasts, aged between early 20s to late 30s, worked hard to make an indelible markon the political platform.

Focus: The Contrasting Tale Of Two Indian 'Sons-In-Law'

By S Gurumurthy (Guest Writer)

Known as ‘Mappillai’ in Tamil and ‘Damad’ in Hindi, all sons-in-law have high standing in Indian families -- religion, caste, region and language regardless.

No surprise therefore that sons-in-law of wealthy, powerful families make news, mostly for wrong reasons. Some months ago, Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi, was in the news for building, in just four years, real estate empire worth couple of billion Dollars [Rs 11,000 crore], according to California’s Celebritynetworth.com, which even the media that adores Sonia Gandhi had to confess as reeking of corruption.

The Clear, Visible Cracks Are Showing In Aam Aadmi Party

By M H Ahssan | INNLIVE

EXCLUSIVE In its rush to conquer the Lok Sabha, has the Aam Aadmi Party bitten off more than it could chew? Growing voices of dissent show that all is not well with the party. It is past midnight and a lone autorickshaw speeds along Lutyens’ Delhi. The chatty driver says that he is a Muslim from Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh. His vote was one of those that brought AAP to power in Delhi. “But, we have seen the way they left us stranded after making so many promises,” he says. “Why should we vote for AAP now? No charges were proved against Modi… he deserves a chance to run the country.”

Power Dynamics: AAP Crisis Isn't A Battle Of Ideas: A Clear Sign Of Irreconcilable Differences Between Friends

Unless there is a last-minute compromise, Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav are likely to head for the exit.

It is tempting to interpret the squabbling in the Aam Aadmi Party as a clash of ideas, a manifestation of the battle the purists are waging against the pragmatists. But in politics, even in its most idealistic expression, ideas often are a cloak that conceals the vaulting ambitions of its practitioners, their inherent desire to impose their will on others.

In View: Will A Major 'Change Overtake' Aam Aadmi Party?

By Rajinder Puri | Delhi

Aam Admi Party (AAP) leader  Arvind Kejriwal has deservedly come in for praise. He worked hard to exploit the public mood to garner support for his party. His efforts to expand his party’s base across the nation continue vigorously. But it would be a grievous error for him and his senior party colleagues to conclude that they have success in the bag. 

Few people perhaps, including the leaders of AAP, seem to have appreciated what the success thus far of the new party signifies. It reflects the national mood for a strong desire for change. AAP has up till now exploited this mood to garner support. It has accomplished nothing till now to offer hope of real political reform. Indeed, some of AAP decisions have created the opposite effect.

Rift In AAP: 'Arvind Kejriwal Is A Liar', Says Vinod Binny

By M H Ahssan | INN Live

After party MLA Vinod Kumar Binny accused the Aam Aadmi Party of failing to live up to its promises, party leader Arvind Kejriwal hinted that the party MLA's outburst may be linked to being denied a ticket to contest the Lok Sabha elections. 

Binny in turn has called the AAP chief a liar. "First he had come to me seeking a ministerial post, and we rejected the demand." "After that he said 'I will contest the Lok Sabha elections'. He had come to my house to seek a Lok Sabha ticket. The party has decided that no sitting MLA will get a ticket for the Lok Sabha elections," Kejriwal told reporters today. 

It's Time To Think The Unthinkable: Arvind Kejriwal As PM

By M H Ahssan | INN Live

WEEKEND SPECIAL The unthinkable happened in 2013: Arvind Kejriwal became CM of Delhi. What’s the most unthinkable thing that could actually happen in 2014? Kejriwal could become prime minister of India. 
    
Readers may laugh incredulously at the very suggestion. But the revolutionary success of the Aam Aadmi Party in the Delhi election shows it’s time to abandon conventional political logic and think the once-unthinkable. Conventional analysis suggests that the next national government will be headed by the BJP. But if the Aam Aadmi Party can scale up nationally, conventional analysis will become junk. 
    
In Delhi, the AAP won 28 out of 70 seats, with 30% of the popular vote. Skeptics ask, how on earth can you expect AAP to win such a high share of the vote, or of seats, in a general election? True, the AAP cannot hope to do anywhere near as well in a general election.