Arvind Kejriwal has finally 'arrived' in Punjab
Arvind Kejriwal has left political pundits scratching their heads yet again! His supporters may whine for the lack of media support, but if the numbers that turned up for his debut public rally in Punjab are anything to go by, he has definitely charmed his way into people's hearts here.
They climbed on top of buses and trucks, even on top of each other if they could, and whether he spoke in Punjabi or Hindi, donned a turban or a topi, coughed or stayed still, it mattered nothing.
We heard how the Badals were left whining about the bad weather and explaining how it kept their supporters away, and we read how Captain Amarinder Singh had to delay his own event by an hour because there were more speakers than listeners in the Congress pandal.
We know how they spent time poking fun at the Aam Aadmi rally, little knowing how it comprised their own supporters who had come to Muktsar just to watch and hear their arch-rival, Kejriwal.
Critics said that Kejriwal's "star power" was driven by theatrics. They said he was more a "drama king" than a leader.
Some ridiculed his policies in Delhi, others poked fun at the conflict within the AAP, but even his worst critics could not deny that he had finally "arrived" in Punjab and so had his AAP, with the same fanfare and ostentation that Punjabis are well known for.
As it happens, Kejriwal has given sleepless nights to many, and whether we are going to have a Haryanvi ruling over the Punjabis, or as they said: a "topiwala" protecting the interests of the "turbanators", no one knows, but one thing is clear: there is much on offer for the fun-loving Punjabis here.
For starters there is drama, comedy, emotion and action, there's also a bit of theatrics and a lot more of politics, if just some movie director would sit up and take notice!