NEW DELHI: The national TV media made repeated headlines since Friday morning about Aam Admi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal’s business-class flight to Dubai on December 4.
The anchors were seen proud to claim they have unmasked Kejriwal, a self-claimed messiah of common man. Leaders of Congress and BJP were not willing to let go the opportunity.
“How can someone, who claims to representing common man, travel in business class? Kejriwal’s double-speak is exposed. The ‘bhagoda’ (escapist) is no more an Aam Aadmi (common man) but a Khas Aadmi (someone special),” was all they had to say.
Even as the bashing was going on in full swing, Kejriwal’s colleagues were aggressively posting on social media their leader is on a five-day trip to receive an award for Asia’s most inspiring and young social change maker in Dubai and to fly to New York the next day to deliver a speech to students of Columbia University and a few more programmes.
Loading ...AAP leaders claimed Kejriwal’s itinerary was already put on the AAP website which begins with a breakfast to be hosted by the Jamia Millia Islamia Alumni Association at Dubai Grand Hotel and four more programmes later before leaving for New York the next day. The Jamia Millia association had offered him a first class ticket to Dubai also but he politely refused saying some other event organizer has already booked the tickets.
All said and done, why the media was making a big issue of his travelling in business class? Why can’t someone who fights for the common man fly in business class? Is it a crime, or he sought gratification from any unscrupulous element in return of an undue favour? Is he the first politician of national stature to travel in business class?
Will the leaders of BJP and Congress explain why their top leadership fly in chartered planes or in private planes of business tycoons? Who foots the bill for their travel? Is it a part of their party expenditures? Have the same the mediapersons ever asked the same question to NaMo, Sonia Gandhi, Mulayam Singh, Mayawati…? Or, these leaders do not identify themselves with the downtrodden? Are they in public life to safeguard the interests of only the rich and wealthy? Time for news traders to pull up their socks or people will stop watching you.
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