They also accused Kejriwal of shattering the dreams of those who supported the anti-graft movement.
Maharashtra based activist Anna Hazare, who led the 2011 anti-corruption movement for a Jan Lokpal bill that brought the then ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) to the negotiation table blamed the liquor scam for AAP’s defeat.
Hazare, who was against forming a political party, parted ways with his protege Kejriwal after he formed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2012 following the movement.
“With the liquor policy issue came money and they drowned in it. The (AAP’s) image was tarnished. People saw him (Arvind Kejriwal) talking about clean character and then about liquor,” he told reporters in Ralegan Siddhi village.
Hazare said AAP failed to understand the need to serve people selflessly and took the wrong path. “Money took the front seat which dented AAP’s image, leading to its defeat,” he added.
“I have been saying this since the beginning that when one contests polls, the candidate’s character should be clean and spotless. The candidate should know the virtues of sacrifice and should have the capacity to tolerate insults,” he said, adding that when allegations crop up, it is necessary to tell the people that these charges are wrong.
Swaraj India party co-founder and psephologist Yogendra Yadav, one of the founding members of AAP who was expelled from the party in 2015 along with Prashant Bhushan, termed the party’s loss a setback for all those who dreamt of alternative politics.
“This is a setback not just for the AAP but all those who dreamt of alternative politics in this country 10-12 years ago. It is a setback for all the parties which supported AAP and for the entire opposition in the country,” Yadav told PTI.
Yadav claimed the AAP gave up on alternative politics soon (after coming to power) and got restricted to welfare schemes that reached a saturation point.
Poet-politician Kumar Vishwas, who was with the India Against Corruption (IAC) movement and one of the founding members of AAP, said he was happy and at the same time sad over the party’s loss.
He blamed Kejriwal for “destroying” the dreams of thousands who wanted a corruption-free country. “Sad because 13 years ago, a wave of political renaissance had swept across India in which seeds of alternative politics were hidden,” Vishwas said.
In a no-holds-barred attack on Kejriwal, he said, “A shameless, narcissistic, insecure person played the part of Duryodhan and caused this downfall.”
“This is their first defeat. For the crime of murdering the dreams of crores of innocent people, they will be punished,” Vishwas said and urged the AAP workers to “think about their future since there is no way for the party to bounce back.”
Former Delhi Commission for Women chief and Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, who had also been a part of the anti-corruption movement and left AAP last year after allegedly being beaten up at the residence of Kejriwal, said people have punished the party for its arrogance.
“Nobody’s arrogance lasts forever. What happened in Delhi today is the proof,” she told PTI.
“The people of Delhi saw how the city turned into a garbage bin. People are not getting water, Yamuna is dirty, and air pollution is high. There was anger among people… I kept telling them to change or people will change them, and that happened,” she said.
“In the last 10 years, they showed people dreams but could not fulfil those and had to pay for that. The former chief minister lost. They got me beaten up, slandered me; today people taught him a lesson and he could not save his own seat,” Maliwal said.
Shazia Ilmi, another founder member of the party who quit and went to the BJP in 2014, said those who gathered in the Ramlila ground for the anti-corruption movement had dreamt of a new kind of politics.
“I am absolutely delighted and also emotional. All of us gathered in the Ramlila ground wanted a new kind of politics. But what did Delhi see? It got a charlatan who brought Delhi down,” she said.
Slamming Kejriwal, she said, “This is a man who actually caused a loss of ₹260 crore to the exchequer, this is the man who lived in ‘Sheesh Mahal’, and this is the man who became AAPda (disaster) himself… finally Delhi will see some peace, work and development,” she said.
Activist Anjali Damania, who was the convener of the Maharashtra unit of AAP and quit the party in 2015, refused to comment.
“Today, the Aam Aadmi Party faced defeat. An ideology was defeated. I request the media, please do not call me for reactions. I will not speak on this matter,” she said.
The BJP has returned to power in Delhi after more than 26 years, sweeping away the AAP from the national capital in another big win to extend its saffron footprint in the country.
