Kejriwal arrest: A bit of buzz, some anxiety... but largely business as usual in Delhi

The AAP and the larger Opposition bloc it is part of, INDIA, have attributed political motives to ED’s actions

In most states ruled by the Opposition, the arrest of a popular chief minister would have brought tens of thousands of people onto the streets. There’s no doubt, based on his party’s performance in the last assembly elections in the Union territory, that Arvind Kejriwal is popular. But through Friday, a day after Kejriwal’s arrest, life in most parts of Delhi remained normal.

Women look on as vehicular traffic leads to congestion at ITO owing to protests by AAP against the arrest of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, on Friday. (Raj K Raj/HT Photo)

Perhaps it was because it was the last working day before a long weekend (Monday is a public holiday for Holi), and people were either scrambling to finish work, or had already taken off on a mini-break, converting a three-day weekend into a four-day one. Perhaps it was because the two AAP leaders who could have coordinated a massive public protest — former deputy CM Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh — are themselves in jail. Perhaps it was something else, but Delhi largely went on about its work on Friday.

‘Welfare schemes did not benefit us’

Even the auto-rickshaw drivers — the first section to wholeheartedly and voluntarily support the then fledgling AAP in late 2012 and early 2013 — didn’t stop working. Some of them even went to the extent of saying that they believed there may be something to the allegations against the chief minister.

“We supported him fully when he came to power initially but he did nothing for us. He gave free bus rides to women and thousands of illegal bike taxis are used in the city. Both have affected our livelihood,” said Akash Kumar, an auto driver at the Anand Vihar Metro station.

The AAP and the larger Opposition bloc it is part of, INDIA, have attributed political motives to ED’s actions.

A student of engineering at a private college in West Delhi, however, said he felt the Delhi chief minister may have “done something wrong”. “It is not easy to arrest a sitting chief minister,” said Harshika Drall, 19. Another student of the same college, Bikram Upadhyay, 18, said that while he was not clear about the circumstances of or reasons for the arrest, it would not “help the party”, and “raises questions” about it.

This apparent lack of support, at least in some quarters, comes against the backdrop of the Lok Sabha elections (Delhi votes on May 26 in the elections that start on April 19 and go on till June 1, with results being declared on June 4). Delhi has, at least in the past two national elections, voted overwhelmingly for the Bharatiya Janata Party in these (all seven Lok Sabha seats in the UT are held by the BJP).

Concerns over arrest

But there was also concern over what the arrest means for the city-state, and acknowledgement that the region had seen development in recent years.

“We have seen development over the last few years, but now the future of the AAP appears to be going up in smoke. We hope development in Delhi is not impacted,” said Gagan Malhotra, a 55-year-old resident of Rajouri Garden.

Others pointed to stalled work across the city that was affecting their lives.

“Two years ago, Manish Sisodia announced that markets including Gandhi Nagar will be redeveloped. He got arrested. Last year, the plan was renewed and some funds were also released. Now with the CM’s arrest, the work will stop again. Often the work stops because of the constant battle between the LG and CM not approving each other’s plans. Eventually, development work suffers,” said Kanwal Kumar Balli, president of the Gandhi Nagar Market Association.

His reference is to the almost daily squabble going on between the UT’s lieutenant governor, in charge of land, law and order, and services and the chief minister. The LG is appointed by the Union government.

‘Arrest politically motivated’

To be sure, Kejriwal does have his supporters among the common people, the Aam Aadmi, after whom his party is named. After all, it has given benefits and freebies to them (including free power), and also worked hard to improve the city’s health and education infrastructure.

Outside Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib in Chandni Chowk, Harleen Kaur, who is in her 40s, said she does not approve of the arrest.“He (Kejriwal) has done a lot for Delhi. My daughter finds it convenient to take a bus to her college which is free. He has also given subsidies for electricity and water, which the governments earlier did not bother about.”

Like Kaur, there are those who believe that the arrest is politically motivated.

“The fact that the arrest has been made just before the elections hints at dirty politics. With a leader like Kejriwal missing, how can this be a fair election?” said 51-year-old Pramod Kumar.

In Delhi’s unauthorised colonies — where AAP has not only promised regularisation, but also access to basic civic amenities — there was more support for the chief minister. In southeast Delhi’s Jasola Village and Kotla Mahi Gram Extension, some locals criticised the arrest.

Prakash Singh, 63, a retired staffer from a private school in Jasola village said: “I have always voted for BJP and Congress but what have they done? I am not very educated but I don’t think Kejriwal should be behind bars. He was questioned for an hour and arrested. Is this the law of this country?”

But the arrests of Sisodia and Singh, and their inability to secure bail, has clearly taken its toll among some sections.

Ashok Arora, 72, a real estate agent, pointed out that Kejriwal skipped nine summonses by ED since November. “If he had nothing to hide, why did he not appear before the ED? It would have been easy for him to clear his name if he had done no wrong?”

Back in 2013-14, no one would have believed that AAP and Kejriwal were or could be dishonest. A decade on, while the truth will have to be established by the courts, the fact that at least some people viewed the allegations against the chief minister seriously may well explain why March 22 felt like another Friday in the national capital.