In the wake of the ugly shake up in the Aam Aadmi Party, which saw
the ouster of founding members Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav from
the party, Arvind Kejriwal has kept a carefully low profile, checking into a week-long naturopathy course in Bengaluru, no less.
While Kejriwal may be ducking the media spotlight, his supporters are sparing no effort to burnish his public image, as revealed by the recently released biography penned by journalist-turned-politician Ashutosh titled The Crown Prince, The Gladiator and The Hope. Gauging from the details, it is a hagiography in every sense of the word, painting Kejriwal in best possible light. It also offers his supporters version of AAP history.
Describing the series of events in the aftermath of the party's debacle in the Lok Sabha election, Ashutosh attempts to highlight Kejriwal's noble character.
At
the time when the National Executive was held from 6-8 June 2014 at
Prashant Bhushan’s residence in Jangpura to discuss party’s debacle in
the Lok Sabha, Kejriwal had suffered a string of setbacks. He had been
sent to jail for refusing to furnish a bond in a defamation case by
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. Yadav, too, had questioned Kejriwal’s
“supremo style” of functioning. Shazia Ilmi, another leader and a
one-time aide of Kejriwal, had quit the party citing a lack of inner
party democracy. Faced with his party members' ire,
“Arvind’s face fell. He rose and excused himself to leave the room. He started to say something, but could not complete. He broke down and as tears fell unheeded, he crumbled to the floor. Anjali (Damania, AAP leader from Maharashtra who unsuccessfully contested against Gadkari) and I (Ashutosh) rushed to him. She put her arms around him and rushed to him.
Soon Anjali began crying as well and shouted. ‘We should all be ashamed of ourselves. This is what we have given him.
After some time Arvind regained his composure. By now, everyone had gathered around him.
‘I have not left my job and other good things of life just to become a convenor of the party. I don’t want this. Please elect someone as the National Convenor’. And his eyes welled up again,” Ashutosh wrote.
Other leaders who were a part of that meeting said that Kejriwal broke down thrice.
“I have taken on Robert Vadra (son-in-law of Congress President), I have taken on Mukesh Ambani and even Narendra Modi, but I havent come up to fight my own people,” Kejriwal had said, according to a leader who was a part of the meeting.
This retelling of this particular incident is particularly well-timed at a time when Kejriwal's retention of the National Convenor's post became the immediate cause for a civil war within the party that pitted Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan against him. Kejriwal's camp won the day at the recent NE meeting but at a high price. The narrowly contested vote left the Delhi CM looking dictatorial and vindictive. So a book that shows him in Gandhian light would be greatly welcome.
But it will take more than a hagiography by a loyalist to soothe the wounds of the recent war. There is for now an uneasy truce.
Yadav, who was ousted from the Political Affairs Committee has already declared a truce and asked the party to move on.
"A lot of things have happened in the last few days...I have requested all party workers that whatever happens, do not lose faith and hope in the party and its idea," he told reporters on Sunday.
Yadav said the time for infighting was over. "Everybody is working for the party...infighting and similar other words were used in the last 5-7 days. Party workers have come with a lot of hope and expectations, they do not want it should go on further and I also do not want it to go on further," he said.
"I have also told party men no more questions and answers now. It is enough. Now work is to be done. We have not come here to fight with each other, we are here to remove corruption," he said.
However, with dissent still bubbling over the treatment of Yadav and Bhushan, with party leaders like Mayank Gandhi hinting at quitting over allegations against him, Ashutosh's book could act as a boost for Kejriwal's supporters. But preaching to the converted will do little to address the alienation of those trampled underfoot by the Kejriwal juggernaut.
While Kejriwal may be ducking the media spotlight, his supporters are sparing no effort to burnish his public image, as revealed by the recently released biography penned by journalist-turned-politician Ashutosh titled The Crown Prince, The Gladiator and The Hope. Gauging from the details, it is a hagiography in every sense of the word, painting Kejriwal in best possible light. It also offers his supporters version of AAP history.
Describing the series of events in the aftermath of the party's debacle in the Lok Sabha election, Ashutosh attempts to highlight Kejriwal's noble character.
AP image
“Arvind’s face fell. He rose and excused himself to leave the room. He started to say something, but could not complete. He broke down and as tears fell unheeded, he crumbled to the floor. Anjali (Damania, AAP leader from Maharashtra who unsuccessfully contested against Gadkari) and I (Ashutosh) rushed to him. She put her arms around him and rushed to him.
Soon Anjali began crying as well and shouted. ‘We should all be ashamed of ourselves. This is what we have given him.
After some time Arvind regained his composure. By now, everyone had gathered around him.
‘I have not left my job and other good things of life just to become a convenor of the party. I don’t want this. Please elect someone as the National Convenor’. And his eyes welled up again,” Ashutosh wrote.
Other leaders who were a part of that meeting said that Kejriwal broke down thrice.
“I have taken on Robert Vadra (son-in-law of Congress President), I have taken on Mukesh Ambani and even Narendra Modi, but I havent come up to fight my own people,” Kejriwal had said, according to a leader who was a part of the meeting.
This retelling of this particular incident is particularly well-timed at a time when Kejriwal's retention of the National Convenor's post became the immediate cause for a civil war within the party that pitted Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan against him. Kejriwal's camp won the day at the recent NE meeting but at a high price. The narrowly contested vote left the Delhi CM looking dictatorial and vindictive. So a book that shows him in Gandhian light would be greatly welcome.
But it will take more than a hagiography by a loyalist to soothe the wounds of the recent war. There is for now an uneasy truce.
Yadav, who was ousted from the Political Affairs Committee has already declared a truce and asked the party to move on.
"A lot of things have happened in the last few days...I have requested all party workers that whatever happens, do not lose faith and hope in the party and its idea," he told reporters on Sunday.
Yadav said the time for infighting was over. "Everybody is working for the party...infighting and similar other words were used in the last 5-7 days. Party workers have come with a lot of hope and expectations, they do not want it should go on further and I also do not want it to go on further," he said.
"I have also told party men no more questions and answers now. It is enough. Now work is to be done. We have not come here to fight with each other, we are here to remove corruption," he said.
However, with dissent still bubbling over the treatment of Yadav and Bhushan, with party leaders like Mayank Gandhi hinting at quitting over allegations against him, Ashutosh's book could act as a boost for Kejriwal's supporters. But preaching to the converted will do little to address the alienation of those trampled underfoot by the Kejriwal juggernaut.
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