Picture Credit: BCCL
Controversies have been a significant part of Kejriwal’s political career. His image as a common man tarnished when a sting operation exposed his own party members accepting bribery just a few days before 2013 Delhi Assembly election.
Another controversy that followed Kejriwal in 2017 was about AAP MLA Satyendra Jain who possessed disproportionate assets during the period 14 February 2015 to 31 May 2017 and escaped legal action.
In yet another controversy, former Chief Minister, the late Dikshit, also questioned the source of a sum of ₹19 crore that AAP received as donation.
Hazare too who distanced himself after Kejriwal parted ways also said that AAP blamed that his party is used his name to come to power.
Arvind Kejriwal also accused CBI for raiding his office in 2015, taking the clash between center and the state government to a new level. In a series of tweets, he alleged that PM Modi asked CBI to raid his office to search for evidence against him. However, Union finance minister Arun Jaitley told Parliament that the raids had nothing to do with Kejriwal.
He also invited a ₹10 crore defamation case from Arun Jaitley who alleged that his former lawyer Ram Jethmalani allegedly used an objectionable word in an open court. The defamation case cost Kejriwal four written public apologies.
Kejriwal also landed controversy for wanting a separate statehood for Delhi. It accused the Lt. Gen for dismissing all the decisions taken by the Delhi government. The clash between Lieutenant and AAP began soon after Kejriwal took oath as CM in 2015, and even triggered Sofa protest. The matter was resolved in Supreme Court in 2018 where it asserted that “Lt. Governor is not governor and hence it is bound by the advice of cabinet advice in matters other than those exempted.”
Every time a controversy erupts, Kejriwal would seem political inept at handling the crisis to begin with. But, time and again, he emerged either unscathed or with very minimal damage