A Letter to Arun Jaitley

New Delhi, Dec 22 (IANS) Leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley Sunday termed as "farcical" the referendum by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on government formation in Delhi and accused the party of "political opportunism".

Jaitley said the AAP was somersaulting on its stated position of not accepting support and trying to mask its political opportunism.

In a post on Facebook, Jaitley said the AAP had stated it represents "alternative politics", but the party seems to be compromising on its commitments.

The AAP emerged as the No.2 party with 28 seats behind the Bharatiya Janata Party (31) in the Delhi assembly polls, which produced a hung verdict. The Congress with eight seats in the 70-member house has offered conditional support to the AAP.

"It (AAP) is guided by idealism. It will neither support or accept support from either the Congress or the BJP," Jaitley said.

He said if the AAP stands by its commitment, the Delhi assembly "becomes a dead-locked assembly" wherein a fresh poll has to be ordered.

"How does the AAP justify a volte face where it seems to be compromising on its commitments of alternative politics," he asked.

"It may even be strategising on how to capture power, announce a few popular decisions and carve out a further positioning for itself.

"For any of these strategies to prevail, the AAP has to somersault from its stated position. It has to retract its public commitments of not accepting support from the Congress. It has, therefore, decided to enact a farcical referendum," Jaitley said.

He said "motley crowds" from all over the town are being asked whether AAP should form the government.

"... a statistical wonder is produced wherein less than 30 percent people voted for AAP in the election but more than 75 percent want it to form a government," Jaitley said.

"Political opportunism is being masked with the idea of popular sanction behind it ... its leaders could argue 'we are not hungry for power, we would not be taking Congress support. But we are democrats who are now bowing to the popular will of the people. It is the people who want the AAP to form the government with Congress support'."

Jaitley, however, acknowledged that AAP's performance in the polls was "certainly remarkable" and its "silent and systematic" campaign produced results.

He also took a dig at the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government over the results of the assembly polls, saying it misled itself because of excessive advertising.

Recalling the Emergency, Jaitley said former prime minister Indira Gandhi consistently justified her "dictatorship, press censorship, detentions of political opponents on the ground it was a 'bitter pill' to be swallowed during the 'era of discipline'".

He said Indira claimed people of India supported her but there was no way of measuring this support. He said she was routed in the 1977 elections and even lost her own seat.

"This is one of the dangers inherent in excessive propaganda. Demagogues always believe their own logic to be true. Governments buy their own propaganda. The UPA government had also misled itself because of excessive advertising of its so-called achievements," Jaitley said.

Dear Mr. Arun Jaitley,

People like you, Shiv Shankar Prasad, Harsh Vardhan and a host of other leaders of the BJP live in glass houses and so do not gauge the pulse of the people. A revolution is occurring in the political history of India and you call it "farcial" and "political opportunism".

Being able to speak good English does not mean you are correct.

For 65 years, the BJP, the Congress and a host of other political parties have been fooling the people.

Every five years you come to the people with folded hands and ask them to vote for you, promising them even the moon. You people spend a few crores in bribing these poor people giving them food, clothes and alcohol and then take blank cheques from them to do what you want in the intervening five years.

From increasing your salaries and perks and passing bills protecting criminals, you do anything and everything, without for once consulting the people who voted for you. So, naturally you are shocked when an honest party decides to take all major decisions only after consulting the people who voted for them, calling the exercise by different names.

You ask why AAP has made a Volte-face.

You politicians speak with a forked tongue.

Just the other day your party was asking why isn't the AAP forming a government when the Congress is willing to support it and we also will not prevent it? You were claiming AAP is scared.

Now that AAP has taken up your challenge just as earlier they had taken up your challenge to fight the elections, you start singing a different tune.Heads I win - tails you lose, that seems to be your motto.

Don't worry, the people have seen through you game. I always thought that you were one of the sensible ones among the BJP but I find that I was mistaken. You are all from the same basket, whether it is Yeddyurappa or you.

Best regards,

Radheshyam Sharma