The photograph that makes Kejriwal feel nostalgic

A day after the Delhi Cabinet cleared the Jan Lokpal Bill, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal recounted his days with ‘Team Anna’ when he had burnt copies of the United Progressive Alliance government’s draft Lokpal, terming it ‘jokepal’.

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party unleashed a social media campaign targeting the Bharatiya Janata Party saying that the party was “scared” of the implications of a functional anti-grafts ombudsman body in the national capital.

“Feel nostalgic when I see this picture. We had burnt government’s ‘jokepal’ at that time,” Kejriwal tweeted, attaching a picture of him holding a burning copy of the draft Lokpal back in 2011.

AAP Delhi convenor Dilip Pandey suggested that BJP’s “fear” over Lokpal stems from the prevalence of rampant “corruption” in the civic bodies and the potential steps against it by the office of Lokpal in the future.

“BJP-run Municipal Corporation of Delhi is a hub of corruption. Everyone in Delhi experiences it. BJP-run MCD is financially and functionally collapsed. They know that Arvind Kejriwal won’t ever spare them. That’s why BJP is scared of Lokpal,” Pandey said.

In a series of tweets, AAP’s social media team said that Lokpal does not suit the BJP as such an institution would ensure transparency, honesty and accountability, which are “threats” to the saffron party.

“BJP’s opposition to AAP government Lokpal makes it clear that BJP is scared of Lokpal. The status quo politics of BJP stands exposed today as BJP opposes AAP’s strong anti-corruption legislation. BJP is scared of Lokpal,” the tweets said.

The AAP cabinet on Wednesday cleared the Jan Lokpal Bill, paving the way towards creating the post of an anti-graft ombudsman, which it claimed was similar to the one proposed during the Anna Hazare movement.

The government said that it would table the bill in assembly soon after the Business Advisory Committee takes call on the issue.

The draft bill, among other provisions, also brings the office of the chief minister under its purview and is on the lines of the Uttarakhand Lokpal Bill which stipulates time-bound probe.

Image: Arvind Kejriwal burning a copy of the draft Lokpal in 2011. Photograph: @ArvindKejriwal/Twitter