Kejriwal's first town hall: Big on pyaar, vague on policy

The firebrand activist, often arrogant, and always outraged. That’s the usual avatar of the man who came, saw and conquered – and then chucked his winnings over his prized Lokpal legislation. But at last night’s Facebook Talks Live - News Laundry debate with a host known for her sharp interrogatory style, Arvind Kejriwal revealed a softer side of himself. [caption id=“attachment_1416087” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. PTI.[/caption] Over the course of the 50 minutes show, he never once raised his voice. Host Madhu Trehan of the Newslaundry set the tone by introducing the session as “not a debate, not an interrogation, but first town hall meeting”. Kejriwal seemed to visibly relax, and as the show unfolded, offered up perhaps the kindest, gentlest version of himself the public has seen to date. When a self-help group member from the audience asked a question about Nirbhaya fund – a fund allocated by the center to fight sexual violence against women – Kejriwal started to don his usual self-righteous persona. “It’s a fund allocated by center,” he started, only to rein himself in. “It’s not a matter of only money and funds but the political parties have to rise above certain politics to deal with it,” he said, sounding uncharacteristically inclusive, and to audience cheers. But the affable exterior also helped Kejriwal duck thornier questions on reservations and Article 370. Ducking the policy issues, Kejriwal opted for a generic, sentimental approach. “Kashmir and North East are integral parts of the country, but it’s not only the land mass that is the part of India but the people also,” he said and which was welcomed, as expected, with a roar from the audience. “We have to win them with love,” he offered as a solution, even as he maintained a carefully ambiguous stance on the deployment of the army in Kashmir: “Army has to be there but not longer than it needed.” But how long is long enough? He did not clarify whether he supports reservation – a frequently asked question among social media users – either. But no one noticed as Kejriwal waxed on eloquently about the most disenfranchised people of the country, and how education will lift them up from their misery within a generation. All sides of the reservation issue can surely agree with that proposition. What is debatable is whether full-access to education requires reservation. On Anna Hazare, Kejriwal went one step further, slipping from soft to outright emotional. “Mera bad luck hai ji,” he responded when asked about Anna’s support of Mamata Bannerjee. And when Trehan asked him whether it hurts when Anna accuses him of power mongering, he said simply, “Chubta hai” (It stings). His face in that moment resembled that of a man genuinely hurt. In his first “town hall” meeting, Kejriwal was clearly a man on a mission: “to win people with love” (pyaar se logo ke dil jeet ne hai ji). And he certainly succeeded in winning the heart of his audience. Whether all those cheers will convert into votes is an unanswered question – much like the others that were left hanging in the air last night.