The boy born on Janmashtami on August 16 1968 at Siwan in Haryana in a simple house in a crowded quarter has come a long way. From an anti-graft crusader to a chief minister behind bars. On Friday (March 22) as he stood before the judge as one of the accused in the multi crore liquor policy scam, the Enforcement Directorate(ED) officials branded him as the "kingpin" and the "key conspirator."

‍

In a political landscape where cynicism reigned, Kejriwal had burst into the scene like a much needed whiff of fresh air. With a background in RTI activism and a remarkable academic journey that saw him cracking the IIT and civil services examination, he emerged as India's politician and a gentleman-a rare combination.

‍

Kejriwal rose to prominence as an activist riding the wave of public outrage over major corruption scandals plaguing the Congress-led UPA regime in 2011. He rewrote the electoral history by forming AAP in 2012 and storming to power during the 2013 Assembly elections in Delhi.

‍

Kejriwal became the giant slayer when he defeated Delhi chief minister, Sheila Dikshit by 22,000 votes. He never looked back. In a short span of nearly 12 years, Kejriwal led AAP's rise as the third largest national party. Along with the BJP and Congress AAP has footprints as far as Gujarat and Goa. AAP today rules both Delhi and Punjab.

‍

As Kejriwal forged ahead, he navigated the political arena with strategic precision.  Selection of broom (jharu) as his election symbol was loaded with many symbols. The broom served as the potent metaphor for Kejriwal's mission to purge  the entrenched filth of corruption from India's political landscape. In choosing the broom, Kejriwal positioned himself  as a modern-day "Hercules" poised to take the task of cleansing the "Augean stables" of Indian politics.

‍

He breathed fire against the high and mighty. He targeted Robert Vadra, Nitin Gadkari, Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani, Narendra Modi, Amit Shah among various others. Kejriwal emerged as the quintessential representative of the Neo-middle class who challenged the hegemony of traditional political parties. As majoritarian politics gripped the nation after the ascent of the BJP in 2014, Kejriwal emerged as one of the prominent faces of secularism in India.

‍

However, over time, as  "aam aadmi" began consolidating, the "picture of Dorian Gray" started to change with Kejriwal's "autocratic side" coming into play. Some of his old colleagues claimed that "anyone who went against his ideas or seen as a competitor was neutralised or removed from the party." He banished people like Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav while others like Kumar Vishwas, Ashutosh among others left on their own.

What, however, raised eyebrows was Kejriwal's rapid U-turn from a sentinel of secularism to a torchbearer of Hindutva. With Assembly elections approaching, chief minister, Kejriwal went missing during the Delhi riots in 2020. Days ahead of the elections, Kejriwal in a bid to reinforce his identity as a devout Hindu recited "Hanuman Challisa" on a tv show.

‍

He also stayed away from the agitation against the NRC and CAA at Shaheen Bagh in Delhi. During the Gujarat Assembly elections, Kejriwal tried to outdo BJP in the Hindutva play by demanding "Lakshmi, Ganesh images on currency notes to help economy." Speaking to a TV channel while campaigning in Gujarat, Kejriwal said-"I am a Hindu, what else will I do if not Hindutva."

‍

Former bureaucrat, Mathew John in an article on The Wire writes: "There are striking similarities between Kejriwal and the Vishwaguru(read Narendra Modi). Although the bush shirted and muffler aam aadmi (common man) is sartorially very different from the dandy accoutred in Maybach shades and flashy kurtas, they share much in common.They are Machiavellian realists possessed of an all-consuming lust for power, who refuse to be distracted by considerations of right and wrong."

‍

Kejriwal once recalled how in 1995- first day on the job in the Indian Revenue Service - he  was completely shocked when a man told him to "take money in the beginning of his career and then pretend to be an honest officer for the rest of his life.”

‍

Today he is fighting the toughest battle of his life. His arrest is related to the alleged graft in Delhi's excise policy, which his government launched in 2021 to undertake reforms in the excise sector, including privatisation of liquor stores. It is alleged that AAP received a kickbacks worth Rs 100 crore.

‍

However, as Kejriwal fights back to regain his political credibility, the timing of his arrest has sparked widespread scrutiny and raised significant questions. Kejriwal is one of the leading faces in the INDIA bloc. A national campaigner, who has charisma and appeal.

‍

Muzzling him days before the Lok Sabha elections will deliver a crippling blow to the Opposition. Therefore the question remains whether Kejriwal's arrest was a genuine attempt to go against corruption or a lingering fear within the ruling BJP that returning to power with brute majority might not be as easy as was being projected?