Manish Sisodia Arrest: Why Running Delhi Govt And AAP Without Him Will Be A Challenge For Kejriwal

Manish Sisodia has been Arvind Kejriwal's most trusted lieutenant and oldest comrade.

Source : PTI

The arrest of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who is number two in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was not a surprise. He has been arrested in connection with alleged financial discrepancies in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. However, this is the greatest blow to the politics of the AAP, led by Arvind Kejriwal. In addition, this arrest will create a massive void within the Delhi government, which will impact both the economic policies and administrative operations of Delhi. And as the AAP seeks to expand across India's states after becoming a national party, Sisodia's arrest will allow the BJP to cast doubt not only on the AAP's anti-corruption claims but also on the party's integrity.

Significance of Manish Sisodia For Arvind Kejriwal 

Sisodia has been Arvind Kejriwal's most trusted lieutenant and the oldest comrade. Kejriwal and Sisodia began working for their NGO well before Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement gained momentum. He began as a person in the background, but the former journalist was well-versed in technology and media management. He became the face of the Delhi government over time. Sisodia was the first person to stand with Arvind Kejriwal when he decided to form the Aam Aadmi Party out of the Anna Hazare movement. The early days of AAP were markedly distinct when individuals from various backgrounds were present. Prashant Bhushan and his father, the late Shanti Bhushan, as well as activists Yogendra Yadav and Sanjay Singh, poet Kumar Viswas, and numerous others from various sectors of society joined the AAP.

With the rise of the AAP, most of these individuals became disillusioned with Arvind Kejriwal's political philosophy and left. But Sisodia, along with Sanjay Singh and many junior leaders such as Raghav Chadha, Atishi, and Durgesh Pathak, stayed. Kejriwal gave Sisodia the responsibility of managing the Delhi government, while Singh was given the responsibility of national political diplomacy.

Since the formation of the AAP government, Arvind Kejriwal has never held a portfolio, while Sisodia has been in charge of the majority of important departments. After the Enforcement Directorate arrested of AAP leader and Health Minister Satyendar Jain, Sisodia was responsible for approximately 18 of the total 33 portfolios. Sisodia was not only the face of the Delhi government, but also that of the AAP's most important political pillar, the 'education revolution'.

Impact On Delhi Government

After Sisodia’s arrest, Arvind Kejriwal's biggest problem will be running the government of Delhi. Sisodia and Jain were two important cabinet ministers in his administration. The other ministers, including Kailash Gehlot, Gopal Rai, Imran Hussain, and Rajkumar Anand, have been severely underutilised. The upcoming budget session of the Delhi government, which is likely to be held in the first week of March, will be Arvind Kejriwal's major challenge. Sisodia has been the minister of finance ever since the AAP government was put together. However, in his absence, the party has a tough job ahead with little time in hand to find someone else within the government with similar expertise to handle the enormous task.

The AAP did not remove Jain from the cabinet after his arrest. So, it is likely that Kejriwal will not attempt to remove Sisodia either. The Delhi government can only have seven cabinet ministers, and if these two ministers are not replaced, no new faces can be added. Kejriwal must either present the budget himself or give it to another member of the cabinet. The AAP government, which now includes the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), will have a difficult time governing without a proper budget.

In addition to the budget session, the Delhi government is also likely to face difficulties implementing several forthcoming policies, such as the start-up policy, the food truck policy, the redevelopment of roads, the Rozgar Bazar, and many others. Kejriwal will also likely face challenges in developing the education system because Sisodia has single-handedly handled the department from the beginning. The Kejriwal model of government is entirely dependent on the AAP government's education model. Because Sisodia isn't there, it may become hard to take it forward.

Impact On National Expansion

The arrest of Manish Sisodia could also impact the AAP's expansion plans. On one hand, this will force Kejriwal to become more involved in the day-to-day operations of the Delhi government, and on the other hand, the party's anti-corruption image will suffer. The AAP is all set to run for office in Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh, among other states. The general plan has always been for Kejriwal to handle national campaigns and Sisodia to oversee the administration of Delhi, but this will no longer be the case following his arrest. Also, Sisodia used to play a significant role in political campaigns.

Anti-Corruption Stand

Allegations of corruption against political parties in India are nothing new, but this is the most sensitive for the AAP. Anna Hazare's movement against corruption led to the creation of the AAP, and the people's hope is that this party will not be corrupt. From its policy on liquor to its use of government money for political ads and other alleged scams, the party has been alleged to have used government power to run centralised scams. The arrest of Vijay Nair, who was in charge of communication for the AAP, in the same excise policy case late last year only gave credence to the allegation. Though these concerns are still under investigation and nothing has been established, with the Delhi court hearing his case observing in November last year that there is no evidence except oral statements that shows transfer of money, Kejriwal is acutely aware that image is everything in contemporary politics. 

Sisodia is also accused of operating a spying unit to conduct surveillance on numerous opposition (read BJP) leaders and other individuals. AAP's allegation of vendetta is natural, but today's politics is all about image. The arrest of Sisodia should be a sign to Kejriwal that the party's anti-corruption stance needs to be given a deep thought. The AAP, which is attempting to expand across India and is already a national party, should keep in mind that if its anti-corruption image takes a beating it will wreak havoc on the party's credibility. 

AAP’s Space In Opposition Politics

After the arrest of Manish Sisodia, some of the opposition leaders, including Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, Sanjay Raut of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray), Avishek Manu Singhvi of Congress, and Bharat Rashtra Samiti leaders, have expressed their solidarity. But there is a strategic silence from the united opposition in terms of support for the AAP when one corruption charge after another is brought against it. In this situation, it looks like the AAP is currently not in a position where it will get large amounts of support from the opposition parties.

Arvind Kejriwal has never been good at making alliances. Congress, Trinamool, and several other political parties have distanced themselves from the AAP because Kejriwal's political philosophy is not widely accepted within the opposition. There is no doubt that the AAP's growth and transformation into a national party were significant. But after the arrest of Sisodia, it is also an important juncture for Kejriwal to look into the AAP's position in the opposition space. While the BJP will keep cornering Kejriwal and his AAP, it will need the support of the larger opposition in terms of fighting against the machinery of the BJP electorally, strategically, and nationally.

The AAP has already made it very clear that it wants to grow all over India. Significantly, Kejriwal focuses his attention primarily on states where the Congress is stronger.

However, with Sisodia under arrest, an ambitious AAP will have to think about a lot of things. On one hand, the AAP government will face challenges in the Delhi government's administration and national politics, and on the other another state ruled by the AAP, which is Punjab, is already witnessing rising violence and other issues. It is high time that Kejriwal revived the party's stance on several issues as the AAP is increasingly losing its originality and becoming a confrontational, theatrics-dependent political party that follows in the footsteps of the BJP but without its expertise or even baggage. The AAP will never be able to defeat the BJP by playing by the BJP's game. It can only reduce opposition votes beyond Delhi and Punjab. The AAP will need a new strategy that is more diverse, connected to its roots, and less hypocritical if it wants to realise its ambitions.

The author is a Columnist and Doctoral Research Scholar In Media & Politics.

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