Arvind Kejriwal was the brain behind the Anna Andolan, which turned into a massively popular movement that saw people, especially the youth, coming out on the streets all over the country to protest against the alleged corruption in the establishment and demand setting up of Lokpal.
Around eight years down the line, Kejriwal, who is now chief minister of Delhi, is ironically conspicuous due to his spectacular silence on the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens even as the national capital has witnessed a series of agitations, mostly driven by the youth.
Kejriwal, who crossed the divide between civil society and politics in 2012, is attempting an extremely tough balancing act as he negotiates his way through the raging protests and prepares his party for the upcoming Assembly elections. While demands are being made that he should intervene in the matter as chief minister of Delhi and a hostile BJP is trying to blame the violent protests in the capital on the ruling AAP, Kejriwal has been extremely measured in his statements on CAA-NRC and the agitations being held to oppose the government's controversial moves.
The tight-rope walk of the Delhi Chief Minister was visible as he made his most detailed statement on the developments a couple of days ago. Steering clear of the debate on the CAA-NRC being discriminatory on religious lines, Kejriwal focused on the fear amongst the people belonging to all religions and faiths. He said the fear has to do with what will they do when they will be asked to produce papers to prove their citizenship.
While demanding that the government take back CAA, Kejriwal chose to emphasise on the argument that the poor would be affected the most irrespective of religion since a majority of them are believed to not possess the necessary documents.
Another issue that the chief minister has stressed is the deterioration in the law and order situation across the country, which is in sync with the AAP government's attacks on the Centre about policing in the national capital.
The AAP is wary of any polarisation taking place on religious lines as a result of CAA-NRC as it is felt that this could have an impact electorally, and with elections due in Delhi in just over a month, the party would want the focus to be on issues of local governance.
Kejriwal did respond to the BJP's charge that the AAP was instigating violence in Delhi by stating that the people know very well who are adept at fuelling riots. The AAP has tried to draw a parallel between the communal unrest in Trilokpuri and Bawana ahead of the Assembly elections in 2015 and the present situation, claiming that the BJP is attempting to polarise the polls.
The party has alleged that the BJP is resorting to the same tactics by dragging the name of Okhla MLA Amanatullah Khan into the picture concerning the violent clashes between the protestors and the police. It has taken potshots at the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, attacking Union Home Minister Amit Shah for failing to maintain law and order in Delhi.
