For Kejriwal, the Anna problem could be really dangerous

Anna Hazare still has a childlike innocence on his face and Arvind Kejriwal is still perceived to be honest. But the wounds of the fallout between the Guru and his brightest Shishya have opened up in public yet again. Or perhaps Anna was never his guru, but just a credible public face that Kejriwal could use to mesmerise the nation, since he struck a chord with all factions and age groups. And once all those who were associated full time with the movement became recognisable on their own, it became time for them to pursue their own chosen paths. Anna wanted to remain a social activist, hawking one issue after another. Kejriwal, though a product of the Anna movement, wanted to be at the helm and gain political power to bring about the changes that he thought should have been there. There is nothing wrong in that. After all, in a free society, everyone has a right to chase his or her own dreams. [caption id=“attachment_1239509” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Kejriwal can’t afford to ignore this Anna situation: AP[/caption] The fight therefore, is not just about whether or not Kejriwal kept the account books clean or whether he used some of the money collected in the name of movement to realise his political dream. Instead it is about the ownership of the goodwill generated around the Lokpal movement. Undoubtedly the Lokpal movement of 2011 was about Anna. The mobilisation was done in his name, and the movement was sustained thanks to his idealism and tremendous capacity to stay on course during those prolonged fasts. None of his team members could have generated that kind of enthusiasm or made people across the nation express solidarity every evening by lighting candles and marching in large numbers. The Main Bhi Anna Gandhi cap became a new age style statement. Kejriwal as a young idealist organiser stood out among the co-authors of the Lokpal movement, as one who was ready to script his own destiny, with or without Anna’s blessings. He was the leader of a band of restless young men and women who had become small heroes in their own hearts and minds, were not willing to retreat into oblivion. Ironically, for a movement that was centered on corruption, one of the reasons for the rift between Anna and his one time most trusted pupil Kejriwal was the handling of crores of money. Legacy and ownership issues took a sour turn, even if they didn’t expressly become ugly. To make matters worse, Kejriwal appropriated for AAP,  the Gandhi cap that once symbolised being an Anna Bhakt. Technically Kejriwal was not using Anna’s name for his promotion but metaphorically by using that same cap, albeit with different word print, he was using Anna to promote his politics. Anna’s 17 November letter to Arvind Kejriwal listed out issues of accountability, integrity and the misuse of his (Anna’s name). A video shown on Times Now dating December 2012 makes a startling revelation of the kind of distrust and distaste Anna had developed for Kejriwal. “He collected money from more than three crore people in my name. People who gave money gave in my name. I didn’t touch even five rupess but its used for politics. The data, lakhs of emails, phone numbers were collected in Anna’s name, my name but that is used for elections…that’s not done”, Anna is seen as saying. Kejriwal has replied to those charges. He says the issue was sorted out long ago and couldn’t figure out why they were resurfacing again. He is insinuating that Anna is being misled by the BJP and the Congress, which have been rattled by the advances that he has made in the Delhi assembly electoral scene. While no one would be inclined to believe that Kejriwal is indulging in corrupt practices, there could be a counter question that if Anna is so gullible now, was he any different two years ago when Kejriwal made him his leader only to leave him to his fate once the movement lost its steam? Anna has made it an issue of trust versus betrayal. Worse, for Kejriwal, it comes in the heat of his electioneering for the Delhi assembly elections. Allegations of financial impropriety, direct or veiled would not stick to him, at least for now, but then he faces a bigger danger of credibility and perception. It is not good for Kejriwal and his nascent Aam Admi Party if perception is built around the leader at this stage of his political career, that he uses people including the likes of crusader Anna for his own purposes and throws them off to realise his own chosen dream. The number of people who have been crying foul against him is rising. Anna’s letter and subsequent interviews have raised doubts. Kejriwal needs to guard against that. Anna could well go into the sunset with history on his side but Kejriwal’s political journey has only begun. The sun is yet to rise for him on his chosen vocation. He has gained traction with many first time voters and has turned some cynics into believers, at least in their speech even if they don’t vote. Politics is a cruel game, but so far he has proved that he is a worthy player. But as things unfold, it is certainly as per the script that he would ever have desired in the run up to 4 December 4 polls. It’s disadvantage Kejriwal.