The Aam Aadmi Party and its Delhi government have ever sought to make a virtue of defying accepted, conventional, norms of public conduct. Yet even by Arvind Kejriwal’s own dubious standards, what happened at his house on Tuesday night has, to use popular slang, “hit the pits”.

Headline writers who have frequently mentioned clashes between the political leadership of the AAP and the bureaucracy would hardly have imagined that the term would ever attain a physical dimension ~ that too at the residence of the chief minister. It is true that there are conflicting versions of what happened and a judicial probe might be advisable, but the track record of Kejriwal & Co. tilts public opinion against it.

That all sections of the Delhi Government’s employees have rallied around the Chief Secretary is telling, and while they certainly erred when resorting to rough-house tactics themselves at the Delhi Secretariat, it could be a case of “paying back in the same coin”.

As expected, the AAP leadership is trying to project the developments as another instance of the Central government misusing officials to thwart the local government, but do Kejriwal and his followers really believe they can run a government without the support of its staff? If the AAP leadership still has any mentors or advisers left ~ it has been virtually abandoned by those who injected impetus to the parent-body, India Against Corruption ~ they would do well to advocate restraint, balance, dignity… Unfortunately, contemporary politics has become so personality-driven (across the board) that elder statesman and wiser counsel have been unceremoniously junked.

The Central government will have to take some firm decisions. Kejriwal’s maverick functioning now appears to have crossed all limits, set a dangerous trend. Political goons ~ and there is no dearth of them, in all parties ~ will perceive any failure to bring AAP to book as a green flag to intimidating already emaciated civil servants.

The malaise will prove contagious, for over the years corrupt political influences have corroded the “iron frame”. The Delhi Government’s workers, at least its senior officers, have opted against a strike thus far but their colleagues across the nation will be monitoring this test case.

Dismissing the AAP government might seem extreme action, but so wide is the political divide that consensus support for such a move will not be forthcoming. And Kerjiwal is political enough to yet again play the victim card to advantage.

Neither the BJP nor the Congress have built up strong-enough links with the Delhi electorate to cut AAP down to size. Once again the key might lie with the judiciary: upholding the EC decision on parliamentary secretaries might force resort to the EVM ~ and serve to confirm/deny Kejriwal’s clout. Particularly when it is manifest in beating up officials, as alleged.