Dear Arvind Kejriwal,

Things have come to such pass that there are perhaps more people now who expect to see the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) fail than succeed. Even among those who ostensibly put their stock in clean politics and good governance. Even among those who suspended disbelief and hoped against hope that the AAP would win Delhi Round Two. And this portends dark storming clouds for you, Arvind Kejriwal.

So pinch yourself awake and recognise that both your newbie privilege and earned goodwill have muscular dystrophy. Your party now headlines, not as the ‘good’ government of Delhi, but as riven, scandalous, salacious, loud, misogynistic, undemocratic and – the unkindest cut of all – as a ‘traditional political party’. You are gloriously outshining them in ignominy, the outrageously criminal and corrupt rival parties! Proud?

So take that Tortoise and Hare story seriously and pace yourself. Or risk losing all.

Here is an unsolicited Six Point Prescription for recovery. My largesse comes from the firm belief that India needs more than one national party, and towards this, all of us, you and I included owe it to do all we can.

1. Ditch that supercilious attitude. Antagonising everyone and pretending you are the only white hat may get you to Gaddi in Delhi, but your shrill moral superiority has painted you into a corner from which all you can do is direct a war room and handle escalations. Not build, not create, not expand, not govern, not resolve, but agitate. You are losing leaders, advisors, confidantes, supporters, donors and along with them, your way. Your holier-than-thou arrogance has raised the moral bar so high on yourself, even Mariyappan Thangavelu could not clear it. You are only tripping on that bar. Reset your attitude.
2. Make friends and influence people. Indian democracy is a modern multi-hero Bollywood movie – you are not the only saviour. By now you’ve already discovered that the Gaddi you wrested is but a Princely State. You neither have the requisite tools of governance in your control (like real states) nor can you explain your predicament to an unenlightened polity that doesn’t even distinguish between corporator and legislator. You need to build some bridges beyond the AAP pronto if you want to govern and deliver. Your solo performance within AAP does not rock either. Get a band. Not a lobotomised army, but peers who may challenge your calls and prove tough to rally but your payoff will be disproportionate! 
3. Win a state. As you make amends to get governance going in Delhi, you must also capture a real state before your term ends. This is imperative. Governance success is necessary and cannot be compromised but the reality also  is that you can never fully deliver to your promises in Delhi. Not only because you have made some irredeemable ones, but also because there is the central government sharing authority over Delhi and it is simply not in their party’s interest to have you fully succeed. So it is equally imperative to win the Delhi Municipal Corporation as it is to win a real state.
4. That said, you have bitten off too much to swallow. Battle for Punjab and Goa and Gujarat while attempting to govern Delhi? The emperor just doesn’t have a big enough wardrobe to cover even his front and back. In chasing multi state elections simultaneously, you signal to the people of Delhi that governance isn’t your priority. You already gave them that signal once and had to move heaven and earth to be re-elected. It is clear that you have only so much bench strength. Even the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), for all their claims of a crore of members, has exhausted its talent base and is digging the deep end for appointments. You are barely getting started and with the massive leakage in the ranks, dismissals, attrition, firing and splits, you need to stop acting like a kid in a candy store and pick one state for now.
5. Stop the public dressing down of AAP offenders. Public shaming and making a press spectacle of AAP legislators and office bearers you fire is not only juvenile but political suicide. The first rule of managing political perception is to hyperbole the accomplishments and underplay the mistakes. You think you are morally superior because you fire offenders while the other parties don’t? You certainly are, but you are also indecent in turning human flaws into media soap operas. Airing your dirty linen in every channel drums it into viewers that your choice of leaders is no better than anyone else’s. Let the offenders resign noiselessly and if and when the offence comes to light, you’re defence is ready and done. It’s the job of your opposition to rake mud on you, why hit your own wicket?
6. Earn your media with your governance not tantrums. You must know that much slippage is forgotten by voters against proven delivery of governance. And what when you do govern but fail to take credit while actively advertising your ignominious party folk? There is no bigger fallacy nor idiocy. It makes even your believers suspect that your governance lacks. Painstakingly stack every media mention and you’ll see for yourself that much more crap than cream floats to the top. So start headlining your governance achievements.

Lastly, in the haste not to slack on pace, mature well rounded consideration has been given the go by and the AAP of today has become, sorry to say, vulgar. It is apparent to everyone but you that your team is too small, overstretched and sorely lacks sagacity. Get some.

You have a history of turning around ridiculously adverse situations into turf advantage. You are poised at that sweet spot giving even the only government elected with the largest majority in recent history sleepless nights. That is nothing short of a miracle. And yet you dither and run around like a headless chicken!

Narendra Modi is not in your league. You want to be in his league, a three-time Chief Minister of a real state and an organisation builder for decades? Then bide your time, build your arsenal and pounce when ready instead of rushing headlong.

All is not lost.  You have a city to run and elections to win. Whether Make in India translates into reality or not, India needs some real making. There are a million youth that enter the employment bracket monthly with no way out. So, get some political friends, some critical advisors, some policy experts, sober up and act like an adult. Do it for India.

Yours,
Tara Krishnaswamy