Kejriwal The Activist VS Kejriwal The Politician

Activism is about bringing awareness to problems. Activism is about unearthing the wrongs. Activism is about pointing out the guilty. Activism is about a lot of things except providing solutions. And by solutions, I do not mean legislation because legislation against human frailties or desperate needs causes a black market, another way of corruption. Prohibition against alcohol makes the bootleggers rich. Blanket prohibition against abortion causes back alley and unsafe procedures – kills the guilty and the innocent. But does it mean that is should be a free for all?

Far from it. All corruption free countries (or those with minimal corruption) have prosperity, high employment or vast social welfare nets. In other words, there are little reasons for people to go out and steal. Sounds fantastic, right? A closer look tells you that these countries have economies that are not sustainable for the long haul. That is why Europe is in trouble. With drugs and Islamic fundamentalism (and poverty that goes along with it) the European fabric of society is getting tested. Still they have managed to maintain a semblance of their old ways because their population (despite of Muslim immigrants from Middle East and Africa) is still low. On the other hand, we have an extremely large population and that too a young one with little or no future. Without stating the obvious, it is clear that a mere piece of legislation and threat of punishment is not going to cure India’s corrupt practices (has death penalty stopped murders?). What is to say that the enforcers of the new law are not going to get corrupted as well?

Kejriwal the activist was right on all counts. His intentions were good and the methodology (borrowed from Anna Hazare on whose coattails this man piggybacked) was sound. Anna’s movement was popular and a lot of support and he and his followers became heroes. When the restless amongst those so called heroes decided that to clean the dirt, they have to get their hands dirty, they entered politics. Now that Kejriwal has become a politician, he has to realize that the game has now changed. The easy hit and run operation that he ran where he raised issues without bringing any of them to fruition, will not work. Activism is a fight between right and wrong. Politics is a fight between winning and losing. Kejriwal is not a starry eyed teenager and should realize that elections are a dirty business all over the world. The fights are not fair and therefore he should stop complaining about BJP backing Anna Hazare. It may seem underhanded but that is one card he has gifted to the BJP himself. The point is that Kejriwal needs another kind of skill to win elections and govern. If he continues to shy away from governance then his supporters need to question this man’s intentions. The Delhi elections remain unresolved and this man is already planning the next general elections. Was the last election another one of his hit and run operations? Is he the male version of that vulture Arundhati Roy who goes around usurping other people’s agenda and then moves on to the next when it loses media coverage?

Kejriwal the activist had my sympathies. He is a fellow IITian and has my respect that way as well. However, Kejriwal the politician has so far come across as an immature, rancorous and a sore loser who is threatening to hold his breath until he gets his wish. He should realize that such tricks work on people who either love you or sympathize with you. People who vote for you expect you to back your words and work instead of point out faults in everyone. Yes. Kejriwal the politician seems to have failed every test posed to him.