Atishi Marlena: A Puppet Chief Minister? Analyzing Kejriwal's Political Maneuvering in Delhi

Is Atishi Truly Autonomous? The Puppet Narrative Explained by Justice Katju

Justice Markandey Katju's commentary on Atishi's appointment as Chief Minister of Delhi expresses scepticism about her autonomy, suggesting she will be a puppet of Arvind Kejriwal. Justice Katju argues that Kejriwal, recently released from jail, will continue to wield power behind the scenes, much like Lalu Yadav did with Rabri Devi in Bihar. He critiques Kejriwal's leadership style, claiming he eliminates rivals within his party to maintain control.

Overall, Justice Katju views the political landscape as one dominated by spectacle and deception, where the real problems of the populace are overlooked.

Atishi as CM, Delhi

By Justice Markandey Katju

Today, Saturday, 21st September, Atishi Marlena ( also known as Atishi ) will take oath as Chief Minister of Delhi from the Lt. Governor of Delhi, having been 'elected' by the MLAs of Aam Admi Party on 17th September ( the 'election' was of course a euphemism for a diktat by the AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal ).

I submit that Atishi will only be a puppet of Arvind Kejriwal, and will loyally and wilfully carry out his orders, and will do nothing significant without his specific oral  instructions. Now that he is out of jail ( after spending about 6 months there ), Kejriwal will have a free hand and no restrictions in issuing such orders to Atishi.

Kejriwal could obviously not have himself continued effectively as a dejure Chief Minister because of the strict conditions imposed in his bail order. He could not go to his office or the Delhi secretariat, or sign files.

Also, formal renunciation of the post of Chief Minister ( while remaining the defacto CM ) would to some extent cast his image as a martyr, who does not hanker for a post, and has made a great sacrifice ( thus ostensibly washing away his sins in the liquor scam and other deals )

But why did he choose Atishi? There were more senior persons in AAP, like Gopal Rai.

To my mind that was because she will more readily obey orders of Kejriwal, having herself said that Kejriwal is the only CM of Delhi. She will thus be more loyal to Kejriwal and pose no danger, which a senior AAP leader may become to Kejriwal, once ensconced on the CM's seat.

One is reminded of Rabri Devi, wife of Lalu Yadav, whom Lalu made the Chief Minister of Bihar when he was convicted in the fodder scam

Everyone knows that while Rabri Devi was only the dejure Chief Minister of Bihar, the defacto CM was Lalu Yadav. No doubt the signatures on the files were of Rabri Devi, but the contents of the files were dictated by her husband. The same will be the case of Atishi. The signatures will be hers, but the content will have been earlier dictated by that Natwar Lal of Indian politics, Kejriwal, who will cling to power vehemently while making a display and drama of giving it up.

Many people have asked me why I criticise Arvind Kejriwal so much.

 So let me give a reply. I believe there is nothing in the man, except his superlative capacity to dupe people, and his intense craving for power. He has dictatorial tendencies, and fiercely threw out of AAP people like Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan, etc who were potential rivals and could challenge him, and forced people like Kumar Vishwas to leave AAP

 Arvind Kejriwal has written a book called 'Swaraj' which is a lot of nonsense..

 Kejriwal's basic thesis in this book is that the solution to India's problems is that power, which is presently in the hands of politicians in Delhi and big businessmen, should be transferred to gram sabhas and mohalla sabhas.

Everybody with even a little knowledge of social realities knows that almost all gram sabhas are corrupt and casteist bodies, usually dominated by big landlords, kulaks and/or money lenders, either directly, or through their henchmen. So also are mohalla area sabhas ( by whatever name called ). Those who dominate in such bodies usually work for themselves, by getting gram sabha land allotted to their family members or henchmen, or doing other misdeeds, and not for the welfare of the villagers as a whole.

These gram sabha lands in the villages were for centuries used for the common benefit of the villagers of the village, such as ponds for various purposes e.g. for their cattle to drink and bathe, for storing their harvested grain, as grazing ground for the cattle, threshing floor, maidan for playing by children, carnivals, circuses, Ramlila, cart stands, water bodies, passages, cremation ground or graveyards, etc.

In a Supreme Court I gave a judgment, Jagpal Singh vs. State of Punjab, 2011 ( along with Justice Gyansudha Mishra )  I mentioned that in most states, almost all of the gram sabha land, which was meant for the common benefit of the villagers for various purposes, has been surreptitiously allotted to, and occupied by the gram sabha pradhans or other office bearers of the gram sabha, or their relatives or henchmen.

 This common village land has been grabbed by unscrupulous persons using muscle power, money power or political clout, and in many States now there is not an inch of such land left for the common use of the people of the village, though it may exist on paper. People with power and pelf operating in villages all over India systematically encroached upon communal lands and put them to uses totally inconsistent with its original character, for personal aggrandizement at the cost of the village community. This was done with active connivance of the State authorities and local powerful vested interests and goondas.

The above is my reply to Kejriwal's thesis in his book.

I have repeatedly said that the real problems of the people are massive poverty, massive unemployment, lack of proper healthcare for the masses, appalling level of child malnourishment ( every second child in India is malnourished ), skyrocketing price rise of essential commodities, etc. There is no solution to these problems within the system, and Kejriwal is within the system.

These problems can only be solved by a revolution.

Kejriwal has no idea of all this. What he has, however, in a measure far above any other Indian politician ( save perhaps Modi ), is his superb and fantastic capacity of performing headline grabbing stunts, gimmicks and capers ( including this latest one of resigning as Chief Minister, and making that dummy Atishi as the CM ). And the gullible emotional people of Delhi and some other places follow him stupidly, like children or rats following the Pied Piper of Hamelin, or a Sapnon ka Saudagar, or like monkeys dancing at the directions of a madaari.

But the harsh socio-economic realities in India-massive and growing unemployment, skyrocketing prices of essential commodities like food, fuel and medicines, appalling level of child malnutrition ( every second child in India is malnourished, according to Global Hunger Index ), almost total lack of proper healthcare for the masses, etc ) will teach them the truth sooner or later.

(Justice Katju is a retired judge of the Supreme Court of India. These are his personal views.)