Of course what is happening within the Aam Aadmi Party is their internal matter. But certain aspects need to be put in proper perspective. The AAP is the off-shoot of the movement launched by Anna Hazare against corruption. The movement attracted a large number of people, especially the youth. It was a non-political movement and people from different political persuasions joined the movement. In the meanwhile Arvind Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan were holding press conferences regarding corruption in high places involving big corporates. They joined the movement led by Anna Hazare. In fact they became the leading stars of Anna’s movement. Prof. Yogendra Yadav, a respected teacher of political science, joined the movement at a later date.
Even some members of BJP extended support to the movement. It was basically a movement against the wholesale corruption of the then UPA government. If there was even a whiff of intention to convert the movement against corruption into a political outfit, there would not have been so much support for the movement. The AAP rode piggyback on Anna Hazare’s movement and used him to curve out a political space. The political support that the AAP heaped was not due to the efforts of the now crowning princes and princesses of the present day avatar of AAP.
AAP is harvesting the crop raised by Anna Hazare. AAP dumped Anna Hazare and went in search of its political fortune. In the Delhi assembly election in 2013, which resulted in a hung assembly, AAP tasted success. This success triggered a greater ambition to try their luck in the general election. In the general election, their target should have been Congress; instead AAP went after Narendra Modi. Prashant Bhushan had provided a conducive environment for the AAP to cash on the anti-corruption sentiment prevailing in the country.
In the 2015 Delhi election AAP routed all other parties. This success has emboldened the AAP to silence any dissenting voices within its core. Therefore it has dumped Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav to the dustbin of history. During the Mughal period, palace coups and palace intrigues were normal. Perhaps history is repeating itself.
