When Arvind Kejriwal turned his back on Anna Hazare and formed a separate political outfit, some labeled him an opportunist, while others hailed him as a revolutionary. Riding on the success of the Lokpal agitation of 2011, he laid down the foundation of a political party- The Aam Aadmi Party. The outfit started off as a potential alternative to the corrupt and morally bankrupt political outfits creating mayhem in India at that time. Today, the party is not just a far cry from its founding ideals, but has also become a laughing stock throughout the nation. With the recent arrest of his own in laws in connection with the PWD scam, the mask of ‘anti-corruption’ that Kejriwal used to hide behind has been ruthlessly ripped off.
Vinay Bansal, son of the brother-in-law of Arvind Kejriwal , has been arrested by the Anti Corruption Bureau in connection with the embezzlement of funds in the 2015-16 PWD scam, in which the Chief Minister himself stands accused of clearing fake bills in connection with the overhauling of the drain network from Shani Mandir to Bakoli village.
Additionally, there are allegations that the contracts for construction of newer roads and sewer lines are being awarded to the Bansals without any routine inspection, as is the norm. The ACB raided the premises of Surendra Kumar Bansal in connection with the same, though with limited success. Following the raids, the ACB gave the green signal for the filing of three FIRs against the Bansal clan for their financial irregularities. Though Arvind Kejriwal is not named in any of these FIRs, it is highly unlikely that such irregularities occurred without the “anti corruption crusader” having knowledge about it.
According to whistle blower Rahul Sharma, who runs an NGO called ‘Roads Anti Corruption Organization’ [RACO], the financial irregularities in the PWD scam have led to a loss of more than Rs.10 crores to the state exchequer. He was involved in an incident that forced ACB to open its investigations into the scam, revealing the double standards employed by the Aam Aadmi Party. Rahul Sharma was attacked by unidentified assailants, who shot at his car when he was on his way to Ghaziabad. The amateur shooting, however, allowed Rahul to narrowly escape, after which he reported the matter to the Metropolitan Magistrate, compelling him to involve the Anti Corruption Bureau in the case. Ironically, Kejriwal, who was once a self proclaimed whistle blower himself, has in the past called for providing protection to whistle blowers as they act as agents of transparency.
It is quite ironic that Kejriwal, who can’t prevent his own relatives from playing it dirty, claims he is capable of eradicating corruption from the entire nation. From the corruption and blatant nepotism sponsored by his own Health Minister Satyendra Jain, to his own tryst with nepotism and corruption as exposed in the Shunglu reports, it looks like Arvind Kejriwal has finally removed his cloak of ‘anti-corruption’ and revealed his true identity: an opportunistic, scheming politician with fake promises that mislead his supporters.
