Arvind Kejriwal’s political journey is a textbook case of irony—once a firebrand anti-corruption crusader, he now finds himself at the center of the very controversies he once rallied against. From leading the India Against Corruption movement to becoming Delhi’s Chief Minister, his meteoric rise was built on promises of clean governance and transparency. However, as his tenure unfolded, his own words from the past began to haunt him, turning into eerie premonitions of the fate that awaited him.
Through a series of viral moments—whether it was his 2011 remark about power corrupting politicians, his sworn promise never to contest elections, or his jibe about government-funded legal defense for corrupt leaders—Kejriwal’s earlier rhetoric became the very ammunition used against him. His political missteps, from dismissing The Kashmir Files controversy with a joke to the slip of tongue that unintentionally linked his governance to liquor (dawa-daru), only fueled criticism.
As AAP’s influence wanes amid legal troubles and a chastening electoral loss, Kejriwal’s once-unshakable confidence—embodied in his bold assertion that “Modi ji, iss janam mein aap hume nahi hara sakte”—seems rather hollow. Whether this is merely a setback or the beginning of his downfall remains to be seen.
A walk down memory lane shows how many of Arvind Kejriwal’s older videos act almost as warnings against the very things he once questiond about the corruptibility of power.
Here’s a look at the rise and fall of Arvind Kejriwal through some iconic and viral videos:
1. “Jo is kursi pe baithta hai…”
“Jo is kursi pe baithta hai, wohi gadbad ho jata hai. To aisa to nahin ki is andolan se jab vikalp niklega, aur woh log jab kursi pe jaake baithenge, kahin woh na brasht ho jaye. Kahin woh nahin gadbad karne lage. Yeh badi chinta hai hamare mann mein. Hamare mann mein yeh dar hai. Jab rajnaitik vikalp khada hoga… aise galat log nikle…”
“Whoever sits on this chair (of power) gets corrupted. What if the people who emerge from this protest, when they take power, become corrupt? What if they start doing wrong things? This is a big worry for me. It’s a big fear for me—that when we become a political party, such people will come out…”
These words, spoken in 2011 while Kejriwal sat next to India Against Corruption supremo Anna Hazare, turned out to be oddly prophetic. His lament about quis custodiet ipsos custodes (who watches the watchmen?) became the core argument against him as CM.
2. “I will never fight elections”
Similarly, in 2011, at the height of the India Against Corruption movement, Arvind Kejriwal promised that he would never contest elections or hold a political post. He even did the quintessentially Indian thing by swearing on his children—a promise he broke a year later when he launched the Aam Aadmi Party.
3. BTS Kejriwal
Another video that captured the ethos of AAP was a behind-the-scenes video of Arvind Kejriwal and a bunch of other AAP bigwigs standing around making plans for the upcoming election campaign. The video starred AAP old boys like Kapil Mishra and Kumar Vishwas sharing a hearty laugh, even as they wondered if the public thought Kejriwal laughed at all.
4. “We won’t spend money defending corrupt people”
Before he became Chief Minister, Kejriwal mocked laws that allowed the state to spend money defending corrupt politicians. However, after taking office, when questioned by a podcaster about hiring expensive lawyers despite being an “aam aadmi,” Kejriwal backtracked, stating that they were appointed by the government.
5. “YouTube pe daal do”
As CM, Kejriwal occasionally moonlighted as a film reviewer, but his most infamous film-related remark came in the Delhi Assembly regarding The Kashmir Files: “They (BJP) are demanding that the movie be declared tax-free in Delhi. Upload it on YouTube, and the movie will become free for everyone to watch.” The video shows Kejriwal and a few MLAs laughing, a moment that sparked controversy. Many felt his laughter was ill-timed, given that the film depicted the plight of Kashmiri Pandits, who were forced to flee the Valley.
6. “Dawa and daru”
At a rally, Kejriwal listed his government’s achievements, mentioning schools, water, and, instead of just medicines (dawa), he mistakenly said dawa-daru (medicine and alcohol). Realizing the slip, a smiling Kejriwal corrected himself: “Only medicine, not alcohol (daru ka nahi, dawa ka).” This remark became even more ironic after the liquor scam that rocked the Delhi government and led to the arrests of several AAP leaders, including Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia.
7. “Sex, drugs and gambling”
AAP made multiple attempts to expand beyond Delhi, but its only real success came in Punjab. One of its more futile attempts was in Goa, where Kejriwal, during a rally in Panaji, stated: “Tourism in Goa is suffering. The state has turned into a destination for drugs, sex, and gambling under the BJP government.” However, meme-makers cut the phrase “drugs, sex, and gambling,” turning it into a viral meme and, in some ways, a symbol of AAP’s struggle to appeal beyond Delhi and Punjab.
8. “Kejriwal ka guarantee”
A viral video shows Kejriwal mocking BJP and Congress, claiming they had sued him for giving electoral guarantees. In time, Kejriwal’s guarantees would come back to haunt him as voters started complaining about them.
9. “Modiji, iss janam mein aap hume nahi hara sakte”
Perhaps the ultimate display of political hubris came when Kejriwal confidently declared at a rally: “Modi ji, iss janam mein aap hume nahi hara sakte” (Modi ji, you cannot defeat us in this lifetime). The statement, now infamous, aged poorly as AAP’s political fortunes took a sharp downturn. The moment was a case of overconfidence that even Achilles would find excessive.
10. “Kejriwal WagonR mein aaye”
Finally, a video that perhaps best encapsulates Arvind Kejriwal’s political journey comes from his on-again, off-again ally, Rahul Gandhi, whose Congress party might not have opened its account but made a dent in AAP’s electoral prospects by splitting votes. Holding up a bottle of water from the Yamuna, Gandhi had quipped: “Kejriwal WagonR mein aaye, sweater pehne aur khambe pe chadh gaye. Phir khambe se utre aur seedha Sheesh Mahal mein gaye. Arvind Kejriwal arrived in a WagonR, wearing a sweater, and climbed an electric pole. After coming down, he went straight to the ‘Sheesh Mahal’ (glass palace) with automatic doors and big TVs).”
From anti-corruption crusader to embattled Chief Minister, Kejriwal’s journey has been one of meteoric rise and equally dramatic setbacks. Whether this is his final political chapter remains to be seen.