Is Kejriwal’s release a worry for Congress?
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal came out of Tihar jail on Friday after 177 days. The Supreme Court granted him bail on conditions that he would not attend his office and sign any official file, nor shall he contact witnesses or speak about the liquor policy case in public. Coming out of prison, Kejriwal told cheering AAP supporters, “it is God which gave me strength and my resolve never weakened. Instead, my resolve multiplied 100 times.” The actual battle is going to be fought in the Haryana assembly elections. The court battles are over for the moment, but the case will linger on. Kejriwal’s release from jail will start a new battle on the political front. The fight is about perception, about creating a narrative.
Kejriwal claims that allegations of bribery made against him and his party in the Delhi liquor excise scam are false and the entire case is fake. This is the reason, he says, why he got bail from the highest court. BJP is going to tell the people that getting bail does not mean he has been acquitted and has been given a clean chit. BJP leaders point out to the SC verdict in which it has been said that his arrest by CBI was legally valid. AAP leaders allege, BJP misused ED and CBI to harass Kejriwal, but their plan has been foiled by the apex court. BJP leaders remind of the conditions under which Kejriwal cannot function as a Chief Minister. He cannot go to his office or sign official files.
There is a political twist to this case. While opposition parties expressed happiness over Kejriwal’s release from jail, Congress maintained silence. The reason: Haryana assembly elections, where talks of alliance between Congress and AAP failed over seat distribution. Congress leaders fear that if Kejriwal goes all out to garner votes for AAP in Haryana, its vote base may be hit. The fear is reflected in Congress stalwart Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s speeches, where he is telling Haryana voters that the battle is only between BJP and Congress, and people should not squander their votes by supporting any third party. In his Haryana campaign, Kejriwal is naturally going to take Congress to task, and this can cause problems for the party in the near future too. One must understand that AAP came to power in Delhi and Punjab by dislodging Congress.
From wrestling ring to political arena : Respect Vinesh’s decision
Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia will now be seen in the political ring. On Friday, both of them joined the Congress. Vinesh Phogat will contest the Haryana Assembly election from Julana in Jind. Bajrang Punia was appointed the working chairman of All India Kisan Congress. Indications of joining Congress party were clear when both of them met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Both quit their jobs in Northern Railways hours before joining the Congress. Vinesh Phogat said it was the Congress which stood by the female wrestlers when they were fighting for their dignity.
She alleged, it was the BJP which orchestrated efforts to defame the wrestlers. Vinesh said, her fight against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and his cohorts in Wrestling Federation, for the honour of daughters will continue.
However, another female wrestler Sakshi Malik, who was part of the protest against Brij Bhushan, said both Vinesh and Bajrang Punia have taken personal decisions without consulting her, and it would have been better if they had stayed away from politics. Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, while speaking in Gonda, UP, said, he has been proved right and the entire nation now knows who was behind the Jantar Mantar wrestlers’ protest. Haryana BJP leader Anil Vij said, he always respected Vinesh for being a ‘champion daughter’, but now that she has opted to become “Congress’ daughter”, it is now clear Congress was behind the wrestlers’ protest. In reply, Bajrang Punia said, the wrestlers during their Jantar Mantar protest, had written letters to all women MPs of BJP seeking their support, but BJP, instead of extending support, defamed them.
I think, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has no right to speak about Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia. It was because of his questionable behaviour and threats that the wrestlers had to hit the streets to stage protest. Even after Brij Bhushan’s removal, the attitude of Wrestling Federation office-bearers has not changed. The wrestlers even went to court, but Brij Bhushan got them in a legal tangle. Ultimately, the wrestlers had to enter the political arena. I think, for the wrestlers, entering the political ring is less of a choice and more of a compulsion, because a heavyweight politician like Brij Bhushan did not leave them with any other options.
Both Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat brought laurels to the nation in the field of wrestling, they won medals and their decision to join politics must be respected. The courage displayed by Vinesh in fighting for the honour of daughters, the manner in which she rose from the streets and reached the semi-finals at Paris Olympics, has made her a youth icon. If Vinesh wants to fulfill her political ambitions by contesting elections, it is her right. At least those leaders should keep their mouth shut, who had to lose their Lok Sabha tickets because of the female wrestlers’ protest.