History is cruel and ruthless, but it is neutral. Most of the time it does not side with the vanquished, but victors are not spared either. In the run-up to the 2014 national election, Narendra Modi was hailed as a charmer. But after a year in power, one finds it more difficult to describe him as one. His body language has changed and the shoulders have drooped. But what has not changed is his style and ego. He still hates to lose and still won't forgive adversaries.
Fortunately or unfortunately, AAP defeated him in Delhi so overwhelmingly, that it broke many myths about his invincibility. So our premonition was that the organisation and individuals linked to AAP would have to bear the brunt of being on his wrong side.
What we had not anticipated, however, was that a cabinet minister would be treated like a terrorist. An FIR would be lodged in the dead of the night when the whole world was fast asleep. At 3 am.
By 10 am, when Jitender Singh Tomar, law minister of Delhi and AAP legislator from Trinagar, was sitting in his constituency office, he found himself surrounded by policemen. Seven of them were of the Assistant Commissioner of Police rank and they came in 33 cars.
When Mr Tomar sat in his official car, his driver was shoved aside and an officer of ACP rank took charge of the steering wheel. No notice was served, no summons were issued to him. Even the court was incensed by the Delhi Police's brazenness. While hearing the bail application of Mr Tomar, the court told the police, "your notice seems to be a farce... And when he was cooperating in the investigation then what was the hurry to arrest him?"
It's different matter that the court granted the police four days of custody.
I am not talking here about Mr Tomar's educational certificates. That matter is pending in the Delhi High Court and the court is the only authority to pass a judgment on whether the documents are genuine or fake.
But what is seriously questionable is the conduct of the police. When the matter was already pending in court, then why was an FIR suddenly registered? The court had ordered Mr Tomar to produce all relevant documents to prove his innocence. The next date of hearing was in August. There was no fresh complaint and no fresh evidence had cropped in. The bar council had complained to the police on May 9. In between police could have registered a fresh FIR which it did not. What baffles me is the timing of the FIR and the entire operation.
On June 7, the Delhi Anti Corruption Branch had reopened 100 crore CNG-fitness scam in which three top IAS officers, including the chief secretary during the Sheila Dikshit regime, were in the dock. In this case, the role of the Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung and former chief minister Sheila Dikshit was also under the scanner. The LG had declined permission to prosecute senior officers and the CBI had questioned that denial of permission in its closure report.
Even the ACB had requested permission three times to prosecute and every time it was denied. Both the ACB and the CBI had written that there was a prima facie case against all three officers, but the LG did not budge. The reopening of the case will certainly open a can of worms. Many senior politicians of both the BJP and the Congress, apart from Sheila Dixit, the LG and the officers could be in serious trouble.
The day after the case was re-opened, in a very swift move, the LG appointed a joint commissioner of police, Mukesh Meena to the ACB, superseding the incumbent chief. One must not forget that no such post exists in the department. The chief minister who was very keen to strengthen the ACB, was not consulted. This was an attempt to stall the CNG-fitness case investigation and save the culprits from being booked.
It is also important to underline the fact that Mr. Meena is the same officer who allegedly tried to implicate Kumar Vishwas and Manish Sisodia in the Gajendra Singh suicide case. It can't be a coincidence. Meena was brought with malafide intentions.
There is a method to this madness. When things were going smoothly for the Delhi government, all of a sudden the duly elected Chief Minister was informed through a home ministry notification that he had no powers to appoint his officers. He was also told that the ACB was beyond his jurisdiction and that it directly reports to the LG. The Home Ministry had forgotten that on May 25, the Delhi High Court has written in para 44 of its order that the Delhi Government has executive power over the ACB.
The Delhi ACB has been working under the direct supervision of the Chief Minister for the last 40 years and no questions were ever raised. Then why this sudden realisation? For the last two months every appointment made by the Delhi government had been declared null and void by the home ministry via the LG.
It is a brazen attempt by the Modi government to suffocate the Delhi government led by Arvind Kejriwal. The BJP tried its level best to avoid holding elections in Delhi. During President's Rule it tried to break AAP and install a government led by the BJP. Mr Modi did not want a non-friendly government in the national capital. But he was helpless before the will of the people. Since he can't punish the people, AAP has to face the music.
This is not new. Those who know Mr Modi also know how he dealt with voices of dissent in Gujarat. Threat, coercion, intimidation, arrest, jail, humiliation were routine. Many senior IAS and IPS officers likes of Pradeep Sharma, Sanjeev Bhatt, Rajneesh Rai, Satish Verma and Rahul Verma who crossed his path landed in jail or had to languish in pitiable conditions. Sanjay Joshi's case is an example for everyone to remember.
Arvind Kejriwal and AAP dared take Mr Modi on. Arvind visited Gujarat to expose his model of development just before the parliamentary elections. Then he fought the parliamentary elections from Varanasi against Mr Modi and finally humiliated him in the Delhi elections by winning by such a big margin.
It's an open secret that Mr Modi does not forget either his friends or his foes. Arvind and AAP by no stretch of imagination are on the list of his friends. So either face the music or surrender.
The Tomar case is a trailer. I won't be surprised if many of us land up in jail. But AAP will fight come what may. The movement is on, and history should record it.
(Ashutosh joined the Aam Aadmi Party in January 2014. The former journalist took on former Union minister Kapil Sibal and Health Minister Harsh Vardhan in the national election from Chandni Chowk in Delhi.)Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.