AAP-model a failure or success?

When Anna Hazare started his fight against corruption, many others joined the band wagon. While some supported him and his fast unto death from outside, others joined hands with them. Those who joined him included eminent people like Kiran Bedi,Yogendra Yadav, Aravind Kejriwal, Prashant Bhushan among others. When massive outrage burst out after Nirbhaya incident in New Delhi and with Union and Delhi Governments flunked addressing to the key issues of people, public started looking for alternatives.

Arvind Kejriwal, decided to cash in on the public outrage and support by promising honest and corrupt-free government by launching a political party. True to his words and honest outlook, at least many educated lot voted for Aam Aadmi Party.However, they stopped short of getting majority becoming the second largest party.

However when BJP as a single largest party shied away from forming a government, the AAP shocked everyone by joining hands with the Congress party against whose corruption it fought the elections. From then on it has been testing time for Arvind Kejriwal. In his hurry to fulfill AAP's promises in the manifesto it made many enemies.

AAP leaders started behaving as if they are in the Opposition and when opposition criticised them, they had no answer. Dharna by CM Kejriwal himself on the eve of Republic Day showed him in bad light. To top it, AAP giving clean chit to its own ministers who were found flouting rules, brought down the pro common man image of the party among people.

When the party created record of sorts with its stunning show in general elections many predicted it to eat into BJP's increasing support in the run up to general elections which made even foreign channels take note of the party. Even the AAP announced grandly its intent to contest Lok Sabha elections across the country. However, the AAP bubble burst makes many wonder whether the model adopted by the party is a success or failure. Many feel it is a classic case study on what to do and what not to do while running a party successfully.

AAP achieved moderate success and it failed to reach the high expectations it had generated among the poor and the middle class. Taking the powerful and influential companies and politicians head-on in less than 50 days, rather than doing any good, tarnished the image of the party. People are miffed with the party and its leaders for their failure to see the enormity of the problems and instead of behaving like responsible leaders of the ruling party, they behaved as irresponsible opposition leaders forgetting the fact that powers to change the system are bestowed on them.

Many feel it is inexperience that brought its downfall and alienated many of its supporters. However, with this experience and sheer resilience the party can bounce back and provide better governance and corrupt-free system which citizens of India aspired for ever since its Independence. However, all this is easier said than done. This because Arvind Kejriwal's guru Anna Hazare who after distancing himself from him, lavished praises on him, after he became CM of Delhi. Now, even Anna Hazare seems to have deserted him as he's seen singing praises of the Bengal chief minister Mamata Bannerjee.

Aravind Kejriwal till now found everything filled with roses for him and his party on its way to success. But now the road is filled with thorns and he should tread carefully winning the trust and confidence of the aam aadmi which his party prides in fighting for.

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