Is Kejriwal An Anarchist? Not Really, Say Political Scientists

NEW DELHI: On Monday, Arvind Kejriwal told the press, in a defiant tone, "Yes, I am an anarchist!" But is that an accurate description of the man and his actions? Political scientists and activists are divided on the matter.

Political scientist Imtiaz Ahmed says he wouldn't describe Kejriwal's action as those of an anarchist. "My feeling is that he is trying to install a new system in place of an older one, which will be more benign. It is not that he rejects an order in every sense of the term, but just the order under which we have lived so far," he says.

There are several complexities when it comes to describing anarchism and anarchist philosophies. However, there is wide agreement on the fact that anarchism rejects all forms of state authority and embraces self-rule. The word, anarchy, is derived from the Greek "anarchia", meaning "without ruler". Some political theorists argue that the origin of modern anarchism can be traced back to the French Revolution of 1789. But the dominant view is that Pierre-Joseph Proudhon is the founder of modern anarchist theory for his work, 'What is Property?' (1840).

Vidhu Verma, who teaches at the Center for Political Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, points to the difference between creating "anarchy" and the "anarchist" position. Kejriwal's position, she says, is well thought out, "closer to an anarchist position" and is in sync with the neo-liberal position.

"A lot of what he is doing has created anarchy, but that doesn't necessarily make him an anarchist. He is closer to that position. [Kejriwal] has spoken about direct democracy instead of looking to the state for individual freedom. But I have a feeling what he said was not spontaneous. He wants to project that position," says Verma. Kavita Krishnan of the CPI (ML) believes AAP's actions are the "opposite of anarchism".

"They are ultimately seeking command over the police. That would be the opposite of anarchism," she says. Last week she opposed AAP defending Somnath Bharti's conduct in Khirki village, where Ugandan women were harassed. "People from the AAP, who publicly defend the party on TV, have told me privately that they are internally debating Bharti's actions. If they claim to be not like other parties, why are they defending him in public?" she asks.