High court verdict is actually a blessing for Arvind Kejriwal

Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party should celebrate the Delhi High Court verdict today against the "AAP government" as yet another instance of them being stopped in their tracks of any attempt to clean up the administration.

In giving the lieutenant-governor all authority to run Delhi, the high court has, in fact, also given another handle to Kejriwal and party to tom-tom the fact that they are being prevented from "functioning" by the Central government, through the office of Najeeb Jung.

The question is simple - and Kejriwal will exploit that to the maximum. That is, allegations of corruption are there and they need to be probed. The LG is not interested in probing these allegations while AAP is being prevented from getting to the bottom of these scams.

Also read: Everybody loves to hate Kejriwal

At the end of the day, if alleged criminal activity is taking place, it needs to be probed - whether by the elected government or the LG. Not allowing the government to do so and the LG not doing it can mean only one thing - that the corrupt are having a field day.

And that works to Kejriwal's advantage.

Also read: Why AAP may fall into its own trap with 'politics of glamour' in Punjab

In the build-up to Assembly elections in Punjab, where AAP is all set to make huge inroads, if not actually come to power, this verdict is a blessing for the party.

The Delhi government will go to the Supreme Court, which will also uphold the high court verdict in all probability, since judges have to follow what's laid down in the Constitution.

One should understand that if Kejriwal is doing all this, it's for a reason.

Gone are the days when people formed their opinion on the basis of what they read in newspapers and watched or heard on state-controlled media. Now, there is so much social media, there are so many different television channels and this has made even the so-called "uneducated" and "backward" among the population very aware and capable of forming an opinion.

Also read: The politics of jailing: Why is AAP the main prey?

They know what is right and wrong and who is making a fool of whom. The results in Delhi two years ago were a case in point when virtually everyone voted for AAP and gave it 67 seats in the state Assembly.

Kejriwal, and AAP, have changed the rules of the political game and no one, cutting across party lines, likes that.

Also read: Entire political class is complicit in Centre's relentless targeting of AAP

The days of "you scratch my back, I scratch yours" are all but over. Traditional politics will soon be history.

We may or may not like Kejriwal but he's here to stay. The writing is on the wall. It's for us to read it!