Aam Aadmi Party leader Atishi assuming charge as Delhi Chief Minister in New Delhi in September 2024. In an emotional gesture, Atishi sat next to an empty chair which she said belonged to Arvind Kejriwal.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Last September, when senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi assumed charge as Delhi Chief Minister, but sat next to an empty chair used by her predecessor Arvind Kejriwal, she sent out a clear message.
Many thought that the optics would end with this sentimental gesture and the new Chief Minister would soon get down to business. However, the first woman Chief Minister of AAP has been carefully playing second fiddle to Mr. Kejriwal. This can be seen even in her minor gestures — she walks with him but always just a small step behind, and addresses him sometimes as ‘sir’ or ‘guru’.
Sources in the party say they do not want her to overshadow the AAP supremo in any way. Others say that the fact that she is a first-time MLA and was chosen to be Chief Minister over founding members of the party and three-time MLAs may also have something to do with it. “It is not completely the party’s plan. A lot of what you see is her own decision. She genuinely does not want to overshadow Mr. Kejriwal,” a source said.
A day after taking oath as Chief Minister, Ms. Atishi made her first major public appearance at a party event at Jantar Mantar. Her Cabinet colleague, Gopal Rai, spoke first, followed by Dilip Pandey, Manish Sisodia, and Mr. Kejriwal. All of them then stood for the national anthem and left the stage. The Chief Minister did not speak a word.
The next day, when Ms. Atishi entered office, the party’s plan became all the more evident. Before she appeared for the cameras and sat on a white chair beside a larger red chair reserved for Mr. Kejriwal, reporters were told that they would not be allowed inside. Only photographers were let in. No interviews were allowed with the Chief Minister later in the day or during the first week. This was unlike the AAP’s style of functioning.
Then, during the first day of the two-day session of the Delhi Assembly, Ms. Atishi and Mr. Kejriwal went to inspect roads in north Delhi. It was Mr. Kejriwal who led the visit, with Ms. Atishi following him. After the visit, the former Chief Minister addressed the media. Later that day too, while Mr. Kejriwal spoke for about 18 minutes in the Assembly, launching a scathing attack against the Central government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ms. Atishi again remained mum. She later spoke for less than a minute to introduce amendments to a Bill. After the day’s session ended, she walked behind Mr. Kejriwal and Mr. Sisodia as they left the Assembly together. She waited for them to get into their car and leave before getting into her relatively inexpensive government vehicle.
Though Ms. Atishi continues to address press conferences, it is Mr. Kejriwal who has announced many important decisions, including Cabinet ones, even though he is no longer a part of the Cabinet.
On November 25, for instance, while addressing a press conference from the party headquarters, Mr. Kejriwal said that the Delhi Cabinet, headed by Ms. Atishi, had passed a proposal for providing pension to 80,000 more senior citizens. Speaking after him, Ms. Atishi said that ‘sir’ had made this possible.
The AAP’s biggest announcement yet, ahead of the Assembly elections, was made on December 12. Starting the programme at the party headquarters, Ms. Atishi said, “Let us welcome our chief and beloved leader Arvind Kejriwal.” She then shouted “Arvind Kejriwal!” The crowd replied, “Zindabad!” Mr. Kejriwal then proceeded to announce another Cabinet decision. This was again a departure from how the AAP government functions — Cabinet decisions have always been announced by the Chief Minister from the Secretariat and not the party headquarters.
All this shows that while Ms. Atishi will be at the helm, she will always remain a step behind Mr. Kejriwal, thus cementing his position as the undisputed leader.
It is difficult even for AAP leaders to hide this clearly thought-out strategy. During the first day of the two-day session of the Assembly on September 26, BJP MLA and the Leader of Opposition, Vijender Gupta, began his speech pointing to Ms. Atishi and Mr. Kejriwal. He said, “Chief Minister ji, Chief Minister ji, both of them are here. You can change his seat to any place (Ms. Atishi got the seat reserved for the Chief Minister, while Mr. Kejriwal was moved to seat 41), but what difference does it make?” Many AAP leaders, including Ms. Atishi, smiled at the comment.
Published – January 09, 2025 01:17 am IST
