HUNOOZ Dilli door ast … The Dilli of ordinary dreams, it seems, still lies some distance away from our grasp. In Arvind Kejriwal, the aam aadmi, or common man, in Pakistan did not just see an Indian politician out to entertain peeping neighbours with his public antics. Mr Kejriwal with his simple demeanour and cry against corruption is a model the Pakistani aam aadmi could in time be inspired to try out, depending on Mr Kejriwal’s journey in New Delhi. For now, that journey has been stalled. Mr Kejriwal lasted only 49 days in the chief minister’s office, which is more than Atal Behari Vajpayee’s 13-day first stint as prime minister all those years ago. His party cannot as yet be written off as a flash-in-the-pan player. However, there are serious dangers about its future, given the ‘uncompromising position’ Mr Kejriwal was found in right at the time of his hasty departure. He didn’t just target the ‘corrupt’ politicians in his farewell speech, he identified a business mogul as the real ruler of India and hit out hard against him. That was against the rules which allow pot shots at politicians only, and that too of a selective nature.

The problem with the aam aadmi everywhere is that his understanding of issues and his solutions are simple. Mr Kejriwal had the awareness to peg his politics to corruption but he must have been bluffing when he said he expected established parties such as Congress and BJP to allow AAP a free way for the passage of laws to fight this disease. They did not give him the expected space and he is now left with the task of widening his challenge and relaunching his campaign for real power. He has been advised to be more discreet and practise the art of the possible rather than go for the forbidden. This is exactly the course other aam aadmis have taken to graduate in politics. Only they are no more aam once they reach up there.