An Indian Maverick is More Journalist Than Politician

NEW DELHI - Arvind Kejriwal is a former Indian government official who has become the government's worst foe. For years he has battled political corruption, but last year, during the citizens' uprising, he rose to national fame. He has said that he will soon form his own political party. As a build-up, he has made a string of allegations of corruption against some of India's most powerful people.

Mr. Kejriwal, according to his own analysis, and that of many politicians and journalists, is at the forefront of a new breed of Indian politicians. But in my latest column, I argue that he is not so much a new form of politician as a new form of journalist. In this role he will be short-lived. The news media, which tend to favor him for the moment, are likely to lose interest in him and his proclamations, though it may be difficult for the media to overlook some of the more outrageous elements in Mr. Kejriwal's allegations.

Indian media, which are constrained in their ability to report the corruption of powerful politicians, are currently using Mr. Kejriwal's shoulder to fire from. Mr. Kejriwal's main strength is that, unlike a professional media organization, he is not afraid of being prosecuted for libel or of the wrath of politicians. Politicians are reluctant to drag him into court because they are afraid that Mr. Kejriwal will just be inspired to dig even deeper.

The political class has so far failed to react to Mr. Kejriwal with any degree of intelligence or cunning. It is unable to decide whether it should treat him as an insignificant passing fad or engage him.

One of the reactions from the governing Indian National Congress party was bizarre. Its leaders asserted that there is a sacred tradition in Indian politics where no politician attacks the family of another politician, a tradition Mr. Kejriwal has violated by dragging Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, through the mud. From a politici an's point of view, the protection of family honor is a very convenient covenant, as Indian politicians often put ill-gotten wealth in the names of their relatives. But Mr. Kejriwal clearly has no respect for the spurious traditions of Indian politics.