Delhi Chief Minister and his unscrupulous party colleagues

When the situation reaches the tipping point, a friend might also behave like an enemy. Following the arrest of the Delhi cabinet Minister – Manish Sisodia, his party colleague Saurabh Bharadwaj burst out before the public, saying that one need not worry about being arrested in Delhi. The MLA assured the crowd that the arrested Aam Aadmi Party leaders could have lots of fun (majja) in the jail. He was insistent because the Delhi jail comes under his government. He was seemingly oblivious to the impact of his outburst that might damage the party's credibility. Interestingly, Bharadwaj's statement came months after many CCTV images of AAP's Health Minister Satyendar Jain, who was seen delightfully luxuriating in his prison cell, leaked on social media. Some video clippings from within the jail went viral in November 2022, showing the Minister convicted in a money laundering case reveling in luxury.

The recent arrest of leader and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia by CBI on February 26 has certainly raised a storm of criticism. He is allegedly involved in deliberately tweaking the Excise policy favoring top liquor vendors and receiving "kickback" therefrom. The policy was later withdrawn as it exposed the blatant irregularities in the AAP ministries. What really made the public more suspicious is the fact that Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and 34 other accused in the scam had allegedly "changed" as many as 140 mobile phones to destroy the digital evidence. CBI has now taken up the case with all seriousness.

Amidst the heat of political chaos, congress leader Sandeep Dixit, a son of former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, pleaded with Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena to take a firm stand against Arvind Kejriwal and his team. He claimed that AAP leaders are involved in various corruption cases, including advertisements and "misusing" of funds received from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

What is ironic is that the party that rose to prominence with the "holier than attitude" now has its many top leaders being pulled up by the courts while many have been arrested on various corruption charges, including involvement in ruthlessly inciting violence during the 2020 Delhi riots that left more than 50 people killed. AAP MLA – Tahir Hussian, the main evil force behind the horrendous riots, sought the support of Khalid Saifi and Umar Khalid, who had a direct connection with anti-India forces.

Prashant Bhushan, Kumar Vishwas, Shazia Ilmi, Kapil Mishra, Alka Lamba, and Yogendra Yadav are some of the key confidantes of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who were either removed by him or left the party as they believed that their boss had deviated from the party principles and ethics. It may be noted that these disillusioned founder members were the first to publicly shout out what stinks from the pit of the AAP. The most intellectual and erudite leader Kuman Viswas has divulged to the public that the top party leaders never hesitated in making friends with those forces who openly pose a threat to the sovereignty and integrity of the nation. Hope the custodian of the constitution and judiciary have ignored this treasonous aberration.

Dr. Munish Raizada, a neonatologist from Chicago and a party founder member and "contributor", has made a comprehensive documentary film -- "Transparency: Pardarshita" exposing the party and how and why many dedicated members were disenchanted with top leaders and dissociated from this political cohort. The documentary is indeed a masterpiece revelation. It clearly depicts how a party with integrity has now metamorphosed into a treacherously hypocritical force. However, what is most despicable is that despite knowing the apparently sinister agenda of the AAP, the top media columnists in the country continue to heap praise on the party as an epitome of secularism and the savior of the minority.

(A Shillong-based writer and researcher, Salil Gewali is best known for his research-based work entitled ‘Great Minds on India’ that has earned worldwide appreciation. Translated into thirteen languages, his book has been edited by a former NASA scientist – Dr. AV Murali of Houston, USA. Gewali is also a member of the International Human Rights Commission, Zürich, Switzerland)