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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  AAP’s credibility dented by back-to-back controversies
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AAP’s credibility dented by back-to-back controversies

Experts say allegations of fraud and domestic violence against its two leaders will tarnish the image of the party

The AAP found itself having to deal with another controversy on Wednesday after former Delhi law minister Somanth Bharti’s wife accused him of domestic violence. Photo: Hindustan TimesPremium
The AAP found itself having to deal with another controversy on Wednesday after former Delhi law minister Somanth Bharti’s wife accused him of domestic violence. Photo: Hindustan Times

New Delhi: Is the Teflon image of the Aam Aadmi Party coming unstuck?

Back-to-back allegations against two leaders of fraud and domestic violence have left Delhi’s ruling party vulnerable to criticism that it can’t claim the moral high ground any longer.

Even as it tried to recover from the judicial remand of law minister Jitendra Singh Tomar on charges of obtaining a fake degree, AAP found itself having to deal with another controversy on Wednesday after former Delhi law minister Somanth Bharti’s wife accused him of domestic violence.

Tomar resigned after he was remanded to police custody, and Bharti has denied the allegations against him.

Both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), AAP’s principal rival that was humiliated in the Delhi assembly election, and the Congress were quick to weigh into the debate.

A key appeal of AAP in the Delhi election held in February was its clean image and its promise of clean governance.

The latest developments come in the backdrop of the messy exit of co-founders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan from the AAP soon after the party’s spectacular win in Delhi, where it won 67 of the 70 seats in the assembly.

The series of allegations involving AAP leaders began in May when the Delhi Commission for Women issued a notice to Kumar Vishwas after a party volunteer accused him and his wife of spreading false rumours about her.

Deepak Bajpai, senior leader of the AAP, sought to make a distinction between the AAP and other political parties when it came to dealing with members accused of graft or other violations of the law.

“AAP has a history of taking exemplary action against erring members of the party. There is no reason why action will be not taken against any member if charges are proven. The case of Tomar is in court. The BJP has been involved in inciting communal tensions and corruption. BJP’s national president Bangaru Laxman was caught taking money, B.S. Yeddyurappa (of the BJP) was facing corruption charges, the AAP should not be compared to the BJP. The Congress party had imposed emergency in the country, so they should also not try to teach us about morality," he said.

However, political analysts maintained that the new developments will tarnish the image of the party.

“It is a major setback for the AAP because in less than three days serious allegations have come up against its two senior leaders and both these leaders had handled the law ministry. The AAP won the elections in Delhi because of its politics of image; these allegations have damaged that image of the party. Though these allegations may not affect the voter base immediately, it will start affecting the party in the future. These allegations will also give a handle to opposition parties to target AAP leaders," said Badri Narayan, a political analyst and professor at the G.B. Pant Social Science Institute in Allahabad.

Senior BJP leaders said that AAP leaders can no longer claim the moral high ground.

“The Aam Aadmi Party claimed during the elections that it was the party that would act against the corrupt and provide safety to women. Why did chief minister Arvind Kejriwal not act against Tomar earlier? How will AAP leaders provide security to women in Delhi when the wives and children (a reference to the allegations against Bharti) of their own leaders are not safe? AAP should stop trying to fool the people of Delhi," said Satish Upadhyay, president of the BJP’s Delhi unit.

“How can we expect the government to work in accordance with the law when its law ministers indulge in every unlawful thing in their lives? It is a comment on the party," Upadhyay added.

“The moral high ground of AAP has been lost a long time back. The morality tag is only in the mind of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. These controversies were avoidable. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi should also act against his cabinet minister who had provided false information in the affidavit during the election. The truth needs to come out," said Ajoy Kumar, Congress spokesperson.

Some political analysts claimed that the latest developments are a reflection of a deeper malaise in society in general and politics in particular.

“These are symptoms of a decadent society; it is a reflection of the fact that there is no place for morality in society and in politics. I would like to term it a disease of morality deficit. We can find such people in every sphere of life. We can find such people in all political parties, including the Congress and the BJP," said Bidyut Chakrabarty, political science professor at Delhi University.

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Published: 12 Jun 2015, 12:05 AM IST
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