The Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) politics has always had a feel of drama about it—and the chief provocateur is, of course, Arvind Kejriwal himself. But now, it seems he has serious competition, and from none other than his favourite party comrade and stand-in Chief Minister, Atishi. She has taken the idea of politics as a farce to a whole new level.
It’s not a great position to be in when you’re already struggling with half your top leadership facing serious corruption allegations.
Since the day Kejriwal announced that she would keep the seat warm for him until he was legally cleared to return to office, Atishi has been doing and saying things that would have been funny if they weren’t so egregiously ludicrous and unbecoming of an ostensibly serious leader of a serious party. Her very first statement upon assuming office backfired—attracting ridicule not only from political rivals but also from ordinary AAP supporters.
It’s rare for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress to speak with one voice, but she managed to unite them with her remark, in which she likened her temporary role to that of Bharat from the Ramayana, who ruled Ayodhya in Lord Ram’s absence by placing his wooden slippers on the throne.
She said, “My situation is like that of Bharat, when Lord Shri Rama went into exile, and Bharat had to govern in his absence.” Not only did she make this statement, but she also went as far as to place an empty chair beside her own CM chair to dispel any notion that she might refuse to vacate it when the time comes.
Why did she think such an assurance was needed? Was it merely to silence potential critics, or did it hint at deeper insecurities within the party ranks?
So, there she was: the newly-anointed CM, pointing to an empty ‘kursi’ beside her and solemnly declaring, as though taking an oath. “This chair,” she said, “belongs to Arvind Kejriwal. Today I took charge as the CM of Delhi. Today, I feel the same pain in my heart as Bharat ji did. Just as Bharat ji worked by placing Lord Shri Ram’s sandals, I will take charge as CM for the next four months (until the elections in February).”
This from someone who never tires of reminding others of constitutional proprieties. It’s no surprise her move was criticised as a ‘grave insult’ to constitutional norms and the role of the chief minister.
Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav labelled Atishi a “dummy” chief minister, criticising her for comparing a man recently jailed on corruption charges to Lord Ram, stating that it undermined the dignity of the role. “I strongly object to the fact that someone who was in jail for a corruption case is being compared to Lord Ram. Atishi has crossed all limits and presented herself as a dummy chief minister,” Yadav said.
BJP MP Manoj Tiwari also criticised Atishi, claiming her “empty chair” gesture demonstrated that she is a “puppet chief minister” and an affront to the Constitution. “What is the meaning of an empty chair when there is a chief minister in office? This act shows that she is a puppet CM, and it is a grave insult to the Constitution. I am sure the people of Delhi will take notice,” Tiwari said.
He questioned: “How can someone compare a corrupt person who is out on bail to Lord Ram? Was Lord Ram accused of corruption? He was ‘Maryada Purushottam’ (the perfect man). These people (AAP) have no hesitation in degrading Hindu gods. They continue to insult Sanatan Dharma.”
The row is a textbook case of trivialising politics and treating it as a performance.
For all its highfalutin claims, AAP has become a caricature of itself. It ceased to be a serious party long ago, but since the “liquor gate” scandal erupted, it has lost whatever little semblance of credibility it had left. Much of its second term in office has been spent on efforts to save Kejriwal, while governance has gone from bad to worse.
Every crisis—water and power shortages, poor sewage, potholes, transport—is blamed on someone else. It’s either the LG’s office, the Central government, or individual civil servants. Never AAP. Even school education, once its strong suit, is reportedly suffering because its main architect—yes, Atishi—is too busy troubleshooting for Kejriwal.
Meanwhile, elections are looming.
It might be too early to start speculating about the outcome of the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections, but there’s one bit of bad news that AAP needs to take seriously and address. It comes from the Muslim “mohallas” and “kuchas” of Old Delhi—the backbone of AAP’s diverse support base.
From being a darling of Muslims and hailed as a breath of fresh air in the capital’s ossified politics—an alternative to the BJP and the Congress—it is now widely viewed with suspicion by large sections of the Muslim community.
It is particularly concerned over attempts to distance itself from Muslims as a nod to the Hindu right, attempting to dispel any impression that it is pro-Muslim. This has sparked a quiet Muslim backlash against Kejriwal, whom they hold personally responsible for AAP’s transformation from a sensible, middle-of-the-road party into a cynical vote-getting operation.
For the first time since AAP made its electoral debut in Delhi in 2013, it goes into an election with the city’s 1.6 million-strong Muslim community sharply divided over whether it should continue to support it. And it’s not just Muslims who are no longer enamoured of Kejriwal’s one-man band.
There’s enough anecdotal evidence to suggest a steady erosion of support among its traditional voters across the board, amid a growing weariness over its chaotic style.
Frankly, the AAP has turned politics into a bit of a circus, where the ringmaster is so busy picking fights with everyone around him that he forgets to notice that there’s an audience who have paid to be served. Every so often, he walks out in a huff, protesting against something or other, leaving people wondering why they ever bothered to turn up.
And he has done it again.
It is not the best of times for the Aam Aadmi Party.
The writer is an independent columnist and the author of ‘Unmasking Indian Secularism: Why We Need A New Hindu-Muslim Deal’. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.
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