Arvind Kejriwal- A long journey of struggles to corridor of power

In the interests of one and all ...

My dear countrymen!

Life of Arvind Kejriwal has not been a bed of roses but full of ups and downs. It has a long story of continuous painstaking efforts with a lot of sacrifices which actually began from Dec’1999. While working in Indian Revenue Service (IRS), founded an organisation called, PARIVARTAN (a change) in the Sunder Nagari area of New Delhi along with Manish Sisodia and some others like minded dedicated people before jumping into active politics in 2012 with the launch of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Thereafter, AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal became Chief Minister of Delhi twice in the year 2013 and 2015 respectively. The journey of his struggles from 1999 to 2015 worth narrating in following paras.

Having good educational cum technical background to a job at Tata Steel, at Jamshedpur to prestigious civil service government job, anyone at his place must have enjoyed life fully which is assured with the job of a bureaucrat. On having a bird’s eye view to the events turning out in his life, it appears that he was never convinced and satisfied with what he had already achieved.

He joined Tata Steel, Jamshedpur in 1989 and while working there wished to be transferred to the Social Welfare Dept. of the Company because of his zeal to do social services. On the request being turned down, resigned from there in 1992, went to Kolkata and happened to meet Mother Teresa there and worked in her organisation - “ Missionary of Charity” for a few months. There he learnt the value of rendering services to the humankind particularly common men, poor and downtrodden of societies. He honed his knowledge and insights further by devoting some time with Ram Krishna Mission too in the outskirts of Kolkata.


PARIVARTAN FOUNDED
The knowledge and wisdom he acquired from there inspired him to do something for its citizens particularly poor and common man and thus an organisation, called PARIVARTAN (a change) was founded in 1999. In order that he could be able to serve people effectively in a rapid manner, just one month after in the year 2000 he took long paid leave to devote fully to PARIVARTAN.

PARIVARTAN took up the social issues and grievances relating to Public Works, Water, Electricity, various government schemes, public distribution system,.....etc promptly and initiated helping people in the best possible manner. As it was not a registered NGO but running on people’s contributions, it started taking the shape of Jan-Andolan, (people’s movement).

In the year 2000, PARIVARTAN with the filing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) started demanding Transparency in public dealings in Income Tax Department and organised Satyagraha outside Income Tax Commissioner office and some of his cadres positioned themselves outside Electricity Board Offices and volunteered to help and get their job done free of cost, without paying a bribe to anyone.

In the meantime, in the year 2001 Delhi government enacted a State level Right to Information Act (RTI) enabling citizens to access any government’s information against paying a minimum fee. Taking advantage of this act, PARIVARTAN using PIL widely and helping citizens getting their job done in all government offices with bribes to none.
In 2002, through a community-led audit report, it exposed the bungling of 70 lakhs of rupees in 64 out of total 68 projects of the area.

In a bold move, PARIVARTAN, on the 14th December 2002, in a public hearing (Jan Sunvai), held the government officials and people’s representatives responsible for lack of development in the areas.
In the year 2003, PARIVARTAN brought Ration shops scandal to light where owners of the Rations Shops with the connivance of public servants syphoning of subsidised cereals at the cost of denying poor their rights.

In the year 2004, PARIVARTAN by obtaining an information by PIL regarding world bank assisted private water supplying projects questioned the authorities concerned that if such costliest project gets implemented, water tariffs will increase 10-fold and hence water will be beyond the reach of poor. Because PARIVARTAN argued that lion’s share of the sanctioned loan spent into salaries and perks of experts from abroad. Based on this objection PARIVARTAN got this non-feasible project stalled by the court. 
The same year, PARIVARTAN through court order succeeded in the admission of over 700 poor children without fee in private schools who had taken land from government at a concessional rate.

With PARIVARTAN outreach in social services and Arvind Kejriwal’s efforts towards promoting and popularising RTI among people at grassroots level, his contributions get recognised in the field of RTI nationally and internationally both like other social activists in the field such as Anna Hazare, Aruna Roy, and Shekhar Singh. Meanwhile, with their efforts, RTI act was adopted at the national level and came into force from October’2005.


KABIR- An NGO
In the year, 2005, Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia together launched a registered NGO basically with the same motives like PARIVARTAN to look after social issues primarily using RTI platform and participatory form of governance. Unlike PARIVARTAN, being a registered NGO, KABIR was open to collect donations from other institutions. Later, KABIR has been run exclusively by Manish Sisodia as stated by Arvind Kejriwal.

February‘ 2006, Arvind Kejriwal resigned from ICS. He was bestowed with Ramon Magsaysay Award later this year in the Emergent Leadership Category, for recognising his drives in activating RTI act among people massively to help and empower them to fight corruption. 

While doing social services through both NGOs they realised that result is narrow, temporary and have a very limited success rate. Arvind Kejriwal wished to do something BIG for the larger good of the common man Nationally.

In December 2006, Arvind Kejriwal along with Manish Shishodia and Abhinandan Sekhri opened an organisation (NGO) in the name of PUBLIC CAUSE RESEARCH FOUNDATION. He donated all his prize money from Ramon Magsaysay Award to this organisation as seed money. Later Prashant Bhushan and Kiran Bedi too became members of this organisation as Trustees along with existing three members. PARIVARTAN Employee was being paid by this organisation and Arvind Kejriwal now started taking up corruption cases in all the government offices like Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Income Tax Department, Public Distribution System, Electricity Board ..... etc using RTI act.
However, by the year 2012 PARIVARTAN had been non-functional due to unfavourable situations.

LOKPAL
In 2010, Arvind Kejriwal took up the corruption issue in Commonwealth game. He pointed out CVC has no power to punish the guilty and CBI is unable to conduct impartial and unbiased investigation against the ministers who control it. Therefore he advocated for public OMBUDSMAN, Lokpal at Center and Lokayukta for States.

INDIA AGAINST CORRUPTION- INDIAN ANTI CORRUPTION MOVEMENT
In the year 2011, Arvind Kejriwal along with many other activists including Anna Hazare and Kiran Bedi formed a new front called - India Against Corruption (IAC). Through IAC they asked for Ombudsman by enacting Jan Lokpal Bill. With increasing strength, This IAC turned into Indian Anti Corruption Movement.
With mounting pressure, National Advisory Council of government at the Center drafted a LOKPAL BILL. But Arvind Kejriwal criticising the bill pointed out that the LOKPAL of this bill will have no power to take action against PM, Government Officials and the Judiciary nor take cognisance of peoples complaints nor there is Transparency in its selection process.

As demand was intensifying further, Government constituted a committee including Arvind Kejriwal as one of its members to draft a Jan Lokpal Bill. However, Arvind Kejriwal alleged to have said that since IAC activists are less in number, their advice is being ignored.
The government argues that people’s elected members cannot be blackmailed every now and then through protests. Arvind Kejriwal countered that in a democracy our representatives can not behave like dictators and called for open debate on contentious issues.
IAC activists went on intensifying their movement every passing day, meanwhile, Anna Hazare hunger strike was also organised at Ram Leela Ground. There on defying police orders, Arvind Kejriwal along with his activists was arrested on which Arvind Kejriwal said, there is a need for a debate over police arbitrary powers to detain and release people at will.

Apart from government, there is a criticism of Jan Lokpal Movement from many people that it is undemocratic as OMBUDSMAN has the power over elected representatives. Arundhati Roy, a great writer claimed that it is also not a people ‘s movement since its a foreign-funded movement to influence government policy matters. She further claimed Ramon Magsaysay Award in Emergent Leadership Category and 397000/- US dollar to Arvind Kejriwal’s NGO, KABIR was funded by Ford Foundation. As other organisations also received fund from Ford Foundation, the charge outrightly rejected by both Arvind Kejriwal and Ford Foundation but asserted it to be meant for the promotion of RTI campaigns only. Also refuted the charge of a plot against ruling Congress government by RSS or that its an Upper Caste Movement against DALITS.

By Jan 2012, Government backtracked to bring Strong JANLOKPAL BILL with the result afresh series of agitations were launched by IAC activists. Since this protest was not as responsive as the previous one held in 2011 and by mid-2012 Arvind Kejriwal, in given situations, had to replace Anna Hazare for his ongoing agitations and demand for Strong JANLOKPAL Bill. This Bill was passed by AAP’s Delhi government on its return to power second time in 2015. The Bill is still pending with the President of India for its approval.

AAP FOUNDED
On having no hope of demands being fulfilled easily by parliamentarians as they refused to be dictated by Arvind Kejriwal and its agitated cadres, Arvind Kejriwal after much thoughts with his team members finally decided to enter active politics and thus established a party named, Aam Aadmi Party, AAP in November, 2012 to focus the concern of Common man. Arvind Kejriwal became its Convener. Formation of this party created many differences between Arvind Kejriwal and Anna Hazare.

In the year 2013, AAP under Arvind Kejriwal’s Leadership fought the Delhi Assembly Election, won with an absolute majority and formed its first government. Arvind Kejriwal became the CM of Delhi. Since it was the minority government in hung assembly, his government did not last more than 49 days.

In the year 2014, though Arvind Kejriwal had announced not to fight Lok Sabha seats yet on the persuasion of Party, he went on to fight General Election held in 2014 and contested against BJP Prime Ministerial Candidate, Narendra Modi from Varanasi and met with defeat.

In the year 2015, AAP returned with thumping majority and its leader, Arvind Kejriwal assumed office second time as CM of Delhi in February 2015. This is how his long journey of struggles turned into ongoing rewarding future.

Jai Hind.

Writer- Sinha.P.K. Views expressed are strictly personal. Feedback / Criticism welcome at Email -pkmsinha@gmail.com or follow @ pkmsinha.blogspot.in