A chief minister stepping down after allegations of corruption. Another leader filling in. A party looking at an uncertain future despite having a majority. This may sound like the story of the Aam Aadmi Party and its convener Arvind Kejriwal. And it is. But it is also largely the story of the Bharatiya Janata Party and its late leader Madan Lal Khurana. Seems like history is repeating itself in Delhi, and what its arch-rival BJP did in 1996, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party is doing today.
Khurana became the chief minister of Delhi in 1993 with his party, BJP, bagging a clear majority. Out of the 70 seats in the Delhi assembly, the BJP got 49.
Everything was fine until February 1996, when Khurana had to resign after the Central Bureau of Investigation sought permission from the union government to charge-sheet him in a Rs 650 million hawala case. Khurana was charge-sheeted for allegedly receiving Rs 3 lakh from hawala brokers the Jain brothers in November 1989.
Khurana stepped down with the hope that the party would rehabilitate him as chief minister once he got a clean chit. Sahib Singh Verma took charge of the city and continued on the post till October 1998.
Meanwhile, within months, Khurana did get a clean chit. The court observed that there was no prima facie case against him. The BJP leader blamed the then Prime Minister for the case.
“The patently false charge sheet was filed at the behest of then prime minister PV Narasimha Rao, with the sole purpose of showing that the Congress alone is not corrupt,” Khurana had told the media.
While he had high hopes that he would get his chair back, the political situation had changed in the city. Verma got the full support and confidence of the BJP MLAs and he refused to act as a caretaker CM who took charge in the absence of Khurana.
However, Verma was unaware that the great onion disaster of 1998 was ahead. The price of onion touched Rs 60-80 per kilogram. There was anger among the masses. Then came late Sushma Swaraj into the picture. With elections just two months away, the BJP trusted Swaraj, a woman, when Verma had to step down as the chief minister.
Explaining why Swaraj, BJP leader Vijay Goel had at the time said: “Elections were approaching. It was felt that a new face, especially a woman, would help the party.”
The elections took place, and from 49 seats in 1993, the BJP’s tally dropped to just 15 in 1998. Delhi saw the rise of Sheila Dikshit with the Congress getting 52 seats. Since then, the BJP has never managed to win assembly polls in Delhi.
History Repeating Itself?
Kejriwal, along with his top cabinet minister, has been facing allegations of corruption. He was arrested in March but refused to step down as the chief minister. When he walked free from Tihar Jail last week as the Supreme Court granted him bail, on Sunday he announced that he would be stepping down as the chief minister.
Kejriwal, along with his deputy Manish Sisodia, was accused of involvement in corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22.
Elections are likely to be held in the capital in January-February 2025. While initially, Kejriwal had said that he wanted early polls in Delhi, a little before handing over his resignation to the lieutenant governor, the party announced that cabinet minister Atishi would be the new chief minister until Kejriwal gets a “clean chit” from the public.
Just like Khurana had accused the Centre of framing him in a false case, Kejriwal is also saying the same.
Speaking to the media, Atishi on Tuesday called Kejriwal’s resignation “historic” and “in protest”. She said that his return to office depends on the people’s verdict.
“I will say it once again on behalf of the people of Delhi that they want to see Arvind Kejriwal as our chief minister after the upcoming elections,” she said.
AAP won 62 seats in the 2020 assembly elections out of the total 70 and the party enjoys a clear majority.
Atishi And Sushma
While women often don’t get a prominent space in politics, in a crisis, they seem to be a safe bet. Swaraj was tested by the BJP in 1998, and now, it is Atishi for AAP.
Selecting a woman for the post not only helps in checking in-fighting but also gives a feeling that the party is sensitive.
Currently, Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal is the sole woman CM in India. Atishi will be joining Banerjee soon.
Atishi will be Delhi’s third woman chief minister. But Dikshit will continue to hold the tag for completing a full term.
If everything goes as per the plans, Atishi will be the CM until February 2025 when the elections will be held. While AAP is hopeful of repeating the mandate of 2015 (67 of 70 seats) and 2020 (62 seats), it is likely to be tested in next year’s ballot battle.