Can Opposition Leader Kejriwal Make a Comeback? – DNyuz

Arvind Kejriwal, one of the main opposition leaders, resigned as New Delhi’s chief minister last week, days after he was released on bail from jail in a bribery case.

Former Delhi Education Minister Atishi Marlena Singh has been named the new chief minister of India’s national capital territory, Kejirwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (Common Man’s Party, or AAP) announced last week, two days after the party leader announced his resignation.

Kejriwal, an outspoken critic of the Indian prime minister, spent six months behind bars on suspicion of involvement in Delhi’s liquor policy.

Kejriwal has consistently called the allegations a political conspiracy.

“I have decided that I will go to the court of my people, which will tell me whether I am honest or not,” Arvind Kejriwal told supporters on Sunday, addressing them for the first time since stepping down as New Delhi’s chief minister.

At an event called Janta Ki Adalat (People’s Court), Kejriwal slammed Modi’s (BJP) decision, accusing the government of corruption and using national law enforcement and intelligence agencies to monitor state governments.

How did Kejriwal end up in jail?

India’s Enforcement Directorate, an agency controlled by Modi’s government that was set up to combat financial crime, accused Kejriwal’s party of taking 1 billion rupees ($12 million, €11 million) in bribes from liquor dealers.

He was imprisoned on March 21, a few days earlier.

Opposition parties widely condemned Kejriwal’s arrest as politically motivated, accusing Modi’s government of misusing federal investigative agencies to intimidate and weaken its political opponents.

The action was also condemned internationally. A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said that Berlin had taken note of the situation.

“We assume and expect that the norms regarding the independence of the judiciary and fundamental democratic principles will also be applied in this case,” Sebastian Fischer said at a press conference in March, adding that Kejriwal has the right to a fair and impartial trial like everyone else.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs commented on Berlin’s position, saying the remarks were “an interference in our judicial process and undermined the independence of our judiciary.”

Kejriwal resigns to restore anti-corruption image

Kejriwal was returned to police custody after the poll. The opposition leader has maintained his innocence and claims he is being targeted by the Modi government.

“He is being portrayed as someone who, despite his anti-corruption stance, is actually corrupt,” Sumit Ganguly, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, told DW. “That is the challenge he is facing from the government.”

After spending months in New Delhi’s Tihar Jail, he was granted bail by the Supreme Court of India on September 13, but with limited powers. He was not allowed to visit the Prime Minister’s Office or the Delhi Secretariat as part of the bail conditions, prompting him to resign from his post.

“He spent almost six months in jail for the liquor licensing case, but he did not resign. But he eventually resigned to regain his image as an anti-corruption crusader, which had been tarnished by the liquor case,” Zoya Hasan, a political scientist at Jawaharlal Nehru University, told DW, adding that Kejriwal stepped down to boost his party’s morale, which had waned in recent months.

A crusader against corruption?

Kejriwal, a career politician, began his political career in 2011 as a leader of India’s anti-corruption movement. He founded the AAP with the promise of ridding the political system of corruption.

He was Delhi’s chief minister for over a decade, but his reputation as an anti-corruption campaigner took a hit in this year’s general elections, when the BJP won all seven seats in New Delhi, the AAP’s stronghold.

“Kejriwal campaigned as a victim of the BJP’s authoritarian regime in the 2024 assembly elections when he was out on bail for the election campaign,” Hasan said. “However, the ‘victim card’ did not work.”

Despite this setback, Kejriwal has remained an outspoken critic of the BJP and its leadership, and has become a prominent voice in India’s opposition alliance.

“Many voters still see him as an anti-corruption crusader, which has helped his dramatic rise in politics,” Hasan said. “That’s why the BJP is doing everything it can to undermine his anti-corruption credentials.”

Who is Kejriwal replacing?

Kejriwal appointed Atishi Marlena Singh as his replacement for the post of chief minister as he fends off corruption allegations. She took charge on September 23. Singh, a well-known school teacher, became the third woman chief minister of Delhi after Sushma Swaraj and Sheila Dixit. She is also the youngest person to have served as chief minister of Delhi.

“Kejriwal will be distracted while he fights these charges in court,” Ganguly said. “It may take some time to resolve it, and the government will find a way to prolong it. So it makes perfect sense for him to step aside.”

While fighting corruption allegations, Kejriwal has put the decision in the hands of the people of Delhi. While the capital is expected to hold elections in February 2025, the AAP is pushing for the polls to be held in November.

Kejriwal has appealed to the people of New Delhi to pass judgement and vote for him if they believe in his innocence. Whether he can revive his political career and return to power remains to be seen.

Edited by: Keith Walker

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