In an unconventional speech at the Delhi Assembly, CM Arvind Kejriwal narrated a fictional story of a poorly-educated king who ruled a kingdom that suffered many problems, including unemployment, inflation and corruption.
The Delhi CM said the kingdom was known for its glory and culture. However, soon after the king, who in Kejriwal’s story is educated till standard IV, took over its reigns, the kingdom went into a downward spiral.
Kejriwal started the story by saying there was a boy who belonged to a poor family. “An astrologer told the boy’s mother that her son would rule the kingdom one day. As he grew, he started selling tea at a railway station,” Kejriwal said amid hearty laughter in the Assembly.
“When the boy became older, he did become the king. However, because he had very little information or knowledge regarding the state of affairs, he would often be taken to ride by his influential friends. The king helped his friends buy airports, coal mines, and power companies leading to huge economic destruction,” Kejriwal said.
“The king worried about people teasing him for his education. So he made a fake education certificate,” Kejriwal said.
“One day, on the advice of his people, the king announced demonetisation. The whole kingdom plunged into despair and struggles. Shops were closed. Many businesses were lost,” Kejriwal said.
As the members of the Assembly listened, Kejriwal continued, “It did not end here. The king then decided to bring new laws for farmers. These laws were nothing but anti-farmers. Millions of farmers protested and around 750 died. Finally, the king had to repeal the laws.”
Kejriwal then shifted the focus of the story to the king’s friend. “The king and his friend looted the kingdom leading to huge inflation,” Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal looked at the opposition parties and asked them not to take it seriously as the story is not pointing at their leader (referring to BJP senior leader and Prime Minister Narendra Modi).
“The king jailed anybody who spoke against him,” he said and compared the king to Mohammad bin Tughlaq, the eighteenth Sultan of Delhi.
And then Kejriwal introduced a character in the story who, according to him, was a ‘chief minister’ who was ‘kattar imandaar’ (brutally honest), ‘deshbhakt’ (patriotic) and ‘educated’.
“The chief minister used to take care of people by providing free electricity and good education,” Kejriwal said.
He concluded the story by saying the people of the kingdom are slowly realising their king’s true motives. “They soon removed him and made the chief minister their king and from there on the kingdom witnessed only progress and development,” he said.
You can listen to the full speech here
