ChinmayC Blog

In the previous post here, I said that in spite of the near-certainty of a ‘walkover’ for the Modi Government the General Elections-2024 could still be no less than a cricket thriller! And, like many of the opposition leaders who have been relentlessly accusing the Government of India of ‘vindictive politics’ I too hereby stay ‘vindicated’! Ha! Ha! The momentous day of 21 st March, 2024 started with the central government freezing the accounts of the Congress party leaving it almost penniless for the looming election expenses and ended (not really!) with the arrest of the three-time Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal from his official residence around 9 o’clock in the night on corruption charges relating to the Delhi Liquor Scam that started in 2021-22 leading to the arrests of several leaders of Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). CM Kejriwal has been skipping summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) since November last year. After he refused the 9 th summons, the ED, act...

While with his crusader mentor he was a dedicated and committed worker-activist trying to root out corruption from the face of India. His principles were then in the right place as he was fondly called the right hand of his mentor. However, he had another quality—ambition, and that too was very principled. He perhaps thought that eradicating corruption was a huge task as long as one had to fight a formidable system set in place over the years by corrupt governments. Therefore he thought that the only way to fight corruption effectively had to be from within. He had to have a political entity to enter the system and fight it. And from that moment his ambition took over command keeping principles in abeyance. He left his mentor high and dry and formed a new political party. Rest is history. Quick-fix developments and growing evidence over the last three years tend to show that Dehli Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) could be the first ever political party in the coun...

“Ki…ki…ki…ki…ki…!” “Don’t try that on me, ok? I’m not at all afraid of you!” “Ki…ki…ki…ki…ki…Kiran!” “How you convinced the Congress to support its bitter foes ever I don’t know. But never try such tricks on us now. No way! You’ve seen it from the very beginning.” “How could you do this to me?” “It is the result of what you have been doing all the time.” “We had the same mentor, same ideals and fought for the same noble cause.” “And you left the same mentor high and dry, used him for your relentless ambitions at all possible levels—local, regional, national and international.” “You cannot deny my basic objective—cleaning the system from within. I was so committed and tried my best.” “And so you ran away from running the government. Being the ruling leader you still sat and slept on the streets to carry on what goddamn objectives I could hardly understand.” “You must understand why. ‘Central’ circumstances forced me to do so.   I had no options. I had to make sure that the Bill wa...

Arvind Kejriwal's ambitions were rooted to the popularity and the national appeal of the anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare. Utilizing his proximity to Anna he formed his own political entity Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and  decided it was time to part ways with his 'mentor' as the great idealistic campaigner never wanted to have anything to do with political parties. When Kejriwal was given a stunning mandate by the people in Delhi he took it as a verdict for his party and his ambitions partially fulfilled Kejriwal and his party indulged in all sorts of politicking that any political party is capable of. He did not want to accept that people in fact wanted a corruption free government and voted for a government that could ensure a solution for this burning issue of the Indian way of life. With power and popularity peaking Kejriwal did all possible under the sun to create and maintain the hype around him.  Like a person possessed by ambition Kejriwal looked ahead to further hi...

As political parties all over India announce list after list of candidates for the General Elections-2014 with the first phase of voting happening on 7th April; as political parties nominate their candidates for the constituencies; as political leaders file their nominations for the hot seats and as political parties sort out their priorities getting ready for declaring their manifestos certain entertainingly rampant characteristics are popping up and out bringing out the essence of election politicking in the largest democracy of the world. You can like it or dislike it, you can abhor it or ignore it, you can debate aloud about it or keep mum about it, but you cannot help enjoying it. And it’s your right to get entertained before you decide about your vote which you must exercise anyway with the latest option of rejecting all the candidates in your constituency. A sense of trepidation seems to have engulfed the ruling coalition particularly for Congress party that leads it. After ...

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal won the trust motion in Delhi Assembly on Thursday, January 2, 2014 on a voice vote, 37 in favor and 32 against. After an eventful day on the floor of the house Congress maintained its promise of outside support and with its 8 members (7 voted) ensured an AAP victory. One additional vote came from the lone Janata Dal-United member and the independent member making the mathematics clear—AAP (28) +Congress (7) +JD-U (1) + Ind.(1)=37. The main national opposition BJP had been objecting from the beginning for clear reasons—that being the single largest party in the assembly they could not or rather did not form the government; that it always maintained AAP as being opportunistic or immoral for obtaining support from the very political party (Congress) which they identified with corruption and became a political entity fighting tooth and nail against it from Anna Hazare days and that when Congress is on one side the traditional...

Anna Hazare Breaking His Fast Fight against corruption in India got the long sought after boost as Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament, passed the Lokpal Bill today afternoon. The Anti Corruption ombudsman Bill or the Lokpal Bill has almost become an Act pending the President's nod. Anna Hazare, the crusader against corruption, has given up his 7-day long fast and his followers at his native village Ralegan Siddhi and all over the country are celebrating. After disastrous defeats in four assembly elections the Congress led UPA Government has something now to draw inspiration from. Maybe it was already inspired by the certainty of it as the Government countered the US in a telling manner following the most peculiar case of Devyani Khobragade. A diplomat humiliated, and a lady harassed and insulted by American cops. Thanks to the sheer absurdity the conspiracy theory is gaining ground in India. A big apology from Uncle Sam is what the whole of India want now. One mor...

After a day long debate when political parties shook off their ideological differences Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament, passed the Lokpal Bill or the Anti Corruption ombudsman Bill this evening. Getting it passes here was the most difficult and crucial part due to the number game, and now passing it in Lok Sabha seems to be a formality, most probably tomorrow itself. Therefore we are likely to finally have an anti corrupt law. And Anna Hazare is set to call off his fast the moment history is made. The Indian government has accepted all recommendations made by the joint select committee to make way for a strong bill. However the debate between Lokpal and Jokepal Bill continues. No human being is perfect, so how could a Bill be perfect. And in India you may have the absolutely perfect plan, but implementation in this god forsaken country is always typically imperfect. Anyway, we can still celebrate with the fact that we do at least have a law against the corrupt. ...

If the Anti-corruption Ombudsman Bill or the Lokpal Bill is passed by Rajya Sabha on Monday and it finally becomes a law who will get or take or claim the credit? An interestingly competitive game seems to be picking up fast. On the positive side due to this game the Bill is almost sure to be passed. Politics of the most unprecedented or even weird kind is unfolding in Delhi. Normally after almost winning an election members of the concerned political party start fighting between themselves for the prime posts and indulges in horse trading to get the magic majority. But this time in Delhi no party is willing to take the plunge. BJP, just 3 short of majority, refused to try form the government saying it would support Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that stuck to its principle of not extending or taking support of any party. Congress offered unconditional support to AAP last evening. Today Kejriwal did go to meet the Lt Governor after being invited to discuss formation of g...

Anna Hazare congratulated his erstwhile chief lieutenant in the movement against corruption, Arvind Kejriwal for the latter's spectacular debut political performance in Delhi assembly election. He said that Kejriwal would have become Delhi Chief Minister if he had his continued support. Anna also reiterated his earlier observation that elections could be won without tons of money. But then, Anna would never become politically aligned or support any political party. We saw how pained he was when Kejriwal decided to form a political party and how he almost gave up his movement. However, it is obvious the crusader against corruption took some positives out of this development. Anna decides to resume his mission. Anna Hazare announced his resolve to continue the fight for the much debated Anti-corruption Ombudsman or Jan Lokpal Bill. And today, the mass leader began one more of his famous fasts unto death at his native village Ralegan Siddhi in Maharashtra. Other reasons are also th...

The so-called holy campaigners or even ‘crusaders’ are falling into the time-tested Indian mix of power-and-clout trap. Always crying for high morale values and attacking and exposing the powers-that-be with stings and other operations one of such ‘crusading’ media agencies, web magazine Tehelka (means 'uproar') finds itself with the sinners it fights against thanks to the overpowering drive of power accumulated which creates enough clout for immunity. Always crying for a corruption free society and corruption free politics anti-corruption activists who did not think much of their philosopher-friend-guide leader to go on form a separate political party, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP—common man’s party) by Arvind Kejriwal, find themselves deep in the same rot created by power and clout and yet show an adamant bout of immunity. Right, in India you just need to chase a noble cause—causes are not at all hard to find in a fast degenerating society—, make a nationwide campaign, win public c...