Aam Aadmi Party’s politics will change with Sanjay Singh’s exit

Senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh said a big thing as soon as he came out on bail after spending six months in Tihar Jail on liquor scam charges. He said that the locks of the jail will be broken. Workers like such slogans very much. Fills them with enthusiasm. Since almost the entire top leadership of Aam Aadmi Party is in jail, it is natural for Sanjay Singh to come out and make such statements. But does it seem that the jail locks will really be broken and Aam Aadmi Party leaders Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, who are in judicial custody in Tihar Jail in money laundering or liquor scam, will come out?

The slogan ‘The lock of the jail will be broken’ was first raised in Muzaffarpur in the 1977 general elections, when socialist leader George Fernandes, imprisoned in the Baroda dynamite case, was contesting from there. Almost the entire North India had united against the dictatorship of Indira government and Congress was defeated in the elections of 1977. George also won from Muzaffarpur and the lock of the jail was not broken, it was opened. Because he had to become a minister in the then Morarji Bhai government. Sanjay Singh’s political initiation came from the same socialist stream, whose unfortunate representative was George Fernandes. That’s why Sanjay has also given the slogan in a socialist manner that the locks of the jail will be broken… so that enthusiasm remains among the Aam Aadmi Party workers. Since the general elections are going on, if there is no enthusiasm among the workers during this period, it will not be easy for the party to perform better in the elections.

But the question is whether Sanjay Singh’s coming out of jail will only boost the enthusiasm of Aam Aadmi Party workers? If we think deeply, the answer to this question may be different. Ever since Arvind Kejriwal went to jail, his wife Sunita Kejriwal has started coming forward. Before this, she often remained in the background i.e. behind the curtain. Often she avoided appearing in public. But as soon as Arvind Kejriwal went inside the jail, she has been continuously coming forward. Till now Arvind Kejriwal and his party have decided that they will not resign from the post of Chief Minister of Delhi, after this Sunita’s role had increased. She started working as a bridge between party workers and Arvind Kejriwal. After meeting Arvind Kejriwal, she has been conveying her message to Aam Aadmi Party workers and common people. Meanwhile, a rally of India alliance was held at the historic Ramlila Maidan in Delhi, in which Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav, Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti etc. shared the stage with senior opposition leaders. Even on the stage, he read the message of Aam Aadmi Party’s trump card Kejriwal. Since there are general elections, Sunita gave a message to the country instead of being a leader of the party limited to Delhi and Punjab. Arvind’s message was for the country, not just for Delhi or Punjab.

After Sunita’s increasing activism, it was believed that sooner or later she could become the Chief Minister of Delhi. If Arvind Kejriwal’s case dragged on for a long time and he could not get out of jail soon, then Sunita was also expected to emerge as the natural leader of the Aam Aadmi Party. However, because of the way Atishi Marlena and Saurabh Bhardwaj took charge after Arvind went to jail, they were also emerging as future leaders. But after Sunita came forward, it was believed that she could become a strength of the Aam Aadmi Party. Since the elections are going on, it was also believed that being a woman, sympathy for Sunita might increase, at least among the women voters in Punjab and Delhi.

But the situation may change after Sanjay Singh comes out of jail. Some political experts believe that after Sanjay Singh’s exit, Sunita will no longer be the only center of power in the Aam Aadmi Party. The reason for this is that after Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, if there is any powerful leader in the Aam Aadmi Party, it is Sanjay Singh. He is also a vocal voice of the party in Parliament. Sanjay also has connections with workers. Therefore, it is believed that after Sanjay is out on bail, the ongoing focus on Sunita will reduce. It is also possible that if the Chief Minister has to be changed, Sunita will not be the only candidate, but the focus and opinion of the workers may get divided. After this, the tussle between Aam Aadmi Party workers may increase.

Some political experts believe that ED not opposing Sanjay’s bail is part of a well-thought-out strategy of the Central Government. After Sanjay’s exit, two centers of power may emerge in the Aam Aadmi Party. This would not have been possible in Arvind’s presence. Since Sanjay has been active, he has direct communication with party workers. Therefore, there is every possibility of their being established as the second center of power. Because of this the focus on Sunita will change. Bharatiya Janata Party can benefit from this.

Only time will tell whether the jail locks will be broken after Sanjay’s release or not. But it is certain that the politics of Aam Aadmi Party will definitely change. Which will not have any impact on the health of Aam Aadmi Party.

-Umesh Chaturvedi

(The author is a senior journalist and columnist)