Opinion Express View on Kailash Gahlot’s exit: AAP must ask itself: What do we stand for?

Kailash Gahlot’s exit from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and his joining the BJP marks a deepening of the political crisis in Delhi’s ruling party. Gahlot has been among AAP’s most prominent leaders and has held several important portfolios in the Delhi government, including home, finance and transport. Along with being the party’s most prominent Jat face, he has helmed the implementation of several flagship schemes including the Mahila Samman Rashi — likely to be a prominent part of the AAP’s assembly election campaign early next year. Gahlot’s exit, while a blow in itself, also points to issues that have beset his erstwhile party across two registers. First, idealism and welfarism are no replacement for a coherent ideological stance, especially at a time when the BJP, the central pole of Indian politics, has grand political and social designs. Second — as Gahlot all but said while departing — the party that came up denigrating politics-as-usual has been caught up in it.

The AAP’s politics, especially since it first assumed office in Delhi, has been about showcasing a governance model that prioritises service delivery – particularly government schools and healthcare. The party’s frequent clashes with the Centre and Delhi’s L-G have created roadblocks to its policy initiatives. At the same time, scandals, court cases and allegations have diminished the moral halo, which the party had acquired with its anti-corruption campaigns. The controversy over renovations at the residence allotted to Arvind Kejriwal when he was CM — Gahlot referred to this in his resignation letter — for example, sits poorly with AAP’s rhetoric since the Anna Hazare movement days. On secularism and minority rights, too, the AAP has often tried to outdo the BJP — blaming “Bangladeshis” and Rohingya refugees for communal violence, for instance. Gahlot also said “political ambitions have overtaken our commitment towards the people,” hinting at the Kejriwal personality cult. The AAP’s allegations that the BJP is poaching its leaders appear unconvincing. On the day Gahlot resigned, the AAP welcomed two-time BJP MLA Anil Jha into its fold. A day later, former Congress MLA Somesh Shokeen joined the party.

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It is easy — as the AAP has done — to paint Gahlot as a disgruntled leader searching for greener pastures. Even if that is the case, the party must introspect. Every political formation goes through ebbs and flows. Moral commitment and party discipline become even more important during periods of crisis. Ahead of the Delhi elections, the party must introspect and find an answer to a simple question: Beyond service delivery, what does it stand for?