Chief secy controversy yet again exposes AAP’s political immaturity -Governance Now

Chief secy controversy yet again exposes AAP’s political immaturity

Kejriwal & Co.’s combative attitude hurts their own cause of pro-people governance

GN Bureau | February 22, 2018

#Anshu Prakash #Arvind Kejriwal #Aam Aadmi Party #Delhi #governance #delhi chief secretary

Anshu Prakash, Delhi chief secretary (Photo: Youtube)

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), for all its talk of high ideals, had an image problem right from its inception: that it was a motley crew of politically naïve people. When the going was good, this image came very handy. Arvind Kejriwal and Co. were seen as a fresh new alternative to the usual run-of-the-mill politician. When going gets tough, it’s a different matter.

This week, Delhi’s chief secretary Anshu Prakash has alleged that at a late-evening meeting at the chief minister’s residence, two AAP MLAs assaulted him. The two, Amanatullah Khan and Prakash Jarwal, have been arrested. Also, a medical examination has established that the senior bureaucrat did suffer physical injury as there were bruises on his face. While AAP has rubbished the accusation, it would be up to Delhi police to probe the matter and take further action. (AAP has already upped the ante by claiming that police is biased.)

Regardless of the findings of the investigation, what is indeed crystal clear today is that the AAP has not shown any political maturity in handling the crisis which has led to a rare breakdown of governance machinery with the bureaucrats of the capital in no mood to cooperate with the government of the day.

The party people justify Kejriwal’s usual aggressive and combative ways by saying that this is what appeals to his core constituency of lower middle class and slum-dwellers. That may or may not be case, but this attitude does not help the cause of governance a bit.

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