Citizens of the country must be wondering that usually the ‘motormouth’ and known for his fierce proclamations, how is Arvind Kejriwal silent nowadays? What is he doing nowadays? Gone are the days of fierce proclamations, blindly accusing PM Narendra Modi, of destabilising his government through Lieutenant Governor. He has also stopped blaming the high and mighty people of the country for corruption. Even his twitter account has gone visually quiet. So what is the reason for his silence?

When did Kejriwal go silent?

The visible change came when AAP was brutally defeated in the Punjab and Goa Assembly elections. AAP was confident in forming a government in Punjab and winning respectable seats in Goa that would help play a key role in forming a government. However, Congress had other plans in Punjab, which saw them easily win the elections, while BJP won in Goa. This left AAP’s morals in shambles. The party seemed to be struggling mentally. Their only hope was the municipal elections of Delhi, in which they were defeated convincingly.

What was the plan of Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP?

Everyone knows Arvind Kejriwal’s dream of becoming PM of the country. He has always shown interest in standing for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Arvind Kejriwal is still known as a regional leader. For becoming a national leader, he has to win elections in different and significant states. His plan was to win the elections of Punjab, win a reasonable amount of seats in Goa, then shift attentions to Himachal Pradesh followed by Gujarat and Karnataka. If all things went as planned, he would have become a national leader. Congress, by then would have been broken and he would have been a sole competitor of Narendra Modi for 2019 Loksabha elections.

Kejriwal had said in January 2016,”We are getting 100 seats in Punjab. After that, our whole Punjab team will move to Himachal Pradesh and replicate the same result there.” AAP was charged for infusion of manpower and funds from Canada and Britain. Punjabis seemed to believe the allegations and refrained themselves from voting for AAP. In Goa, Kejriwal hoped for the support of the Christians but they ended up voting for the Congress, leaving AAP in a lurch. This explains why Kejriwal has gone into self-imposed political exile.

Has Kejriwal realized that AAP cannot fight Modi?

Before the Punjab and Goa elections, Kejriwal had rallied in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. The party needed just 6% of the votes in order to gain the stature of a national party. However, these plans were destroyed by their defeats in Goa and Punjab. AAP has been known for accusing Modi every now and then. However, lately, they have realized that blaming Modi for every problem in the country was proving counterproductive. In a way, Kejriwal has realized he cannot defeat Modi, at least for now. They have rather targeted BJP than targeting Modi. The party also believes that it has to be neutral against media. Totally alienating media will not be helpful.

Has Kapil Mishra anything to do with Kejriwal’s silence?

Mishra, in August 2015, wrote to chief minister Kejriwal about the report on the water tanker scam. The committee’s report, which is believed to have names of some AAP leaders, was forwarded to the then Delhi Lieutenant Governor, Najeeb Jung. But the Delhi government delayed action on the report. Mishra has alleged that he was sacked as the water minister because he asked the Delhi government to take action against AAP leaders involved in the scam.

A day after Mishra was sacked; he accused Delhi CM of accepting Rs2 Crore at his official residence in Delhi from health minister Satyendra Jain. Kejriwal has since remained silent and hasn’t discussed this topic to either media or through his twitter channel. This silence of Kejriwal has led to suspicions all over the country as well as inside the party.

What is AAP doing to revamp AAP’s image?

 All these accusations and losses have led to the downfall of AAP’s image. Kejriwal replaced his advisor Ashish Talwar with Ashish Khetan because complaints received by the CM from the MLAs and other workers as they were not able to speak with the CM. Kejriwal has come up with many more initiatives such as Mohalla clinic, which is applauded by International media also. On an educational note, Kejriwal has spruced up the government schools with better quality of teachers as well as facilities. It has resulted in government school students performing better than private school students. The party is also working on new welfare schemes while improving the current welfare schemes.

Kejriwal’s silence can be inferred as the result of the loss of elections in Punjab and Goa, but Kejriwal is not the leader to give up. We can expect a new strategy from the current Delhi CM. Is it the calm before the storm? Only Kejriwal and time will be able to answer that!