I am Ramlila Maidan … Anna, Kejriwal and now Rekha, I saw the time changing

I am Ramlila Maidan … I have been a witness to every change in Delhi. This time too, I have been witness to a grand event (of a return), 27 years later. People are calling it the end of the second exile. I have been an old witness to such grand events. I have seen governments forming, I have seen political parties being made. Many suns grew in front of me and drowned. Now a new sun has come out, so once again the big people of the country and the world gather. Thousands of common people, including all the big leaders, big industrialists, diplomats and witnesses of other countries.

But this is not the first time I have seen the program of swearing -in ceremony of a government. As I said, governments have been formed in front of me. Common people became a great hero in front of me. I remember many old dates. A date was on 20 August 2011. Then the face of a person had turned into a new India dream. Ralegan Hazare, who went through Siddhi, became a symbol of the anti -corruption movement and there were thousands of youth who wished social change behind him.

Anna’s movement

Anna had become famous by agitating at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. His hunger strike seemed to tremble the throne of the government. Young people like Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia came out of this movement. Then it seemed that this new batch of youth has come to change Indian society. He has brought a dream of creating a corruption -free India. Before reaching Ramlila Maidan, the government tried to arrest Anna, he was taken to Tihar. But public resistance was so sharp that the government left them in a hurry. He was again with me- that is, in Ramlila Maidan, again there was a passion to change the society in the air, again the fight for simplicity and truth was going on. I remember Anna Hazare’s many speeches of those days.

Anna’s movement made many Jantar Mantras across the country, many Ramlila Maidan. By then, people associated with many kinds of ideology had come with Anna. Prashant Bhushan, who fought the battle of justice and constitution from the legal corridors, came out of the socialist stream, Yogendra Yadav, who came from the group of Kishan Patnaik, Kiran Bedi, famous for his honesty and strictness, was in those faces that give edge and trust to Anna’s movement and trust Anna’s movement They were In the sense, there was also a direction that till then it was not clear what this movement wants apart from the Jan Lokpal bill. But during this period, the powers of history were playing some more games. A group associated with the Anna movement felt that there was no change in politics in Indian democracy, so this discussion continued- even there were differences and conflicts. He also has an interesting story.

Birth of Aam Aadmi Party …

In those days, Kejriwal’s attitude used to be separate. He made serious allegations against many big leaders. But then it seemed that Team Kejriwal would consider corrupt leaders of India in jail and by removing corruption. I have seen the bulge of the Aam Aadmi Party. I have seen the crowd gathered here during the Anna movement, I have seen how Kejriwal and Sisodia believed in those days in gossip that they have to learn to run big movements. But as soon as a political party was formed, his style changed his attitude and his luck also changed.

December 28, 2013 … When Aam Aadmi Party government formed

I miss another date of December 28, 2013. On this day, the party formed its government throughout the year. I still witnessed the swearing -in ceremony. The youngest Chief Minister of Delhi was taking oath. And then Kejriwal had said, people neither take bribe nor bribe. But agreements had started with that first government. Then the BJP emerged as the largest party including 31 seats in the 70 -member Delhi Assembly. You got just 28 seats- 8 seats away from the majority. The Congress was almost cleared, it came down from 43 to 8 seats. The Aam Aadmi Party formed the government with the support of the Congress which he strongly criticized.

But this government of Kejriwal could only run for 49 days. Kejriwal resigned in the name of his failure to not bring Jan Lokpal bill. Actually, this proved to be an accurate step for the new bulge of the Aam Aadmi Party. In 2015, Kejriwal won more than three-fourths of seats on his own and returned to power. Once again I witnessed his coronation. That date was on 14 February 2015. Kejriwal was taking oath again- I Arvind Kejriwal … and then he was talking about fighting corruption.

Differences in common man Paterry …

But this changed party was Kejriwal. The party had set a record by winning 67 seats in Delhi. This was a big success for the party for just two years old. But the differences started increasing from here … within a month, senior leaders like Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan were expelled from the party. He was accused of anti -party activities.

This period was still politically the most golden phase. Kejriwal’s party kept on fighting and fighting with the Center and the Lieutenant Governor, making all kinds of right and wrong decisions. In this period, you also won Punjab. The party whose decade was not completed, had formed a government in two states and was beating hands and feet in other states. In 2020, the Aam Aadmi Party almost repeated the 2015 result in Delhi. But after 2020, the party continued to be surrounded by allegations, its leaders kept going to jail in corruption charges, Kejriwal and Sisodia were seen behind bars and finally the Aam Aadmi Party lost badly in the 2025 assembly elections.

BJP’s return to Delhi …

Actually, BJP’s strategy was also behind this defeat. The BJP recognized the ways of AAP. The corruption that Kejriwal was making an issue, made the same weapon and retaliated on them. Then Kejriwal’s individual politics responded to Prime Minister Modi’s charisma. In response to Kejriwal’s Revdi politics, he made bigger announcements and linked it with the Prime Minister’s guarantee. In the slums on which Kejriwal’s politics used to be done, BJP leaders also reached and assured them of change. The BJP was also ahead in the psychological politics of publicity. This siege from the booth level to the highest level broke AAP fort in Delhi. The BJP has brought a majority on its own with 48 seats. The taste of this victory is very thick for him, because it has won by very thick struggle.

Historical moments witness Ramlila Maidan

How did this freedom disintegrate- now everyone knows the sadness of it. When Anna’s movement went on, everyone remembered Jayaprakash Narayan, remembered the entire revolution and talked about the third freedom. But I know. No freedom is maintained by inertia. He has to be constantly active, he has to fight. New suns of politics came out in front of me and drowned. I shouted second and third freedom slogans in front of me and lost in the darkness of history. There was an attempt to put democracy in front of me and I was a witness to the fight against him. In front of me the leaders emerged like the sun and drowned like stars. Political parties became in front of me and shattered. This is a story made of many stories. It also has disappointments and expectations, there is trust in them and the tragedy of breaking of trust. It consists of moments of moments and years of punishment. Now a new government has come, so I am reminding of the old challenges- I am telling that to preserve our democracy, it is important that we keep an eye on our governments. Ram Manohar Lohia had said- When the roads are deserted, Parliament becomes stray. The roads should not be deserted, the color of Ramlila Maidan should remain, the people should weigh the strength of the democracy of the country- this is important.