Half an hour before I am due to have lunch with Arvind Kejriwal, leader of India’s fledgling Aam Aadmi (literally “Common Man”) party, my appointment is cancelled. A day earlier, the tax collector turned social activist had been out campaigning in the parliamentary elections when the driver of an auto rickshaw slapped him across the face. It was just the latest physical blow landed on the 45-year-old Kejriwal, who refuses to have the heavily armed guards who shield many Indian politicians.
就在我与印度政坛崭露头角的平民党(AamAadmi,“Common Man”)党首阿尔温德•凯杰里瓦尔约定好的午餐时间前半个小时,我突然被通知约定取消。一天前,这位前税务征稽员,如今的社会活动家为议会选举进行宣传造势时,脸上被某机动三轮车司机扇了一巴掌。这是45岁的凯杰里瓦尔遭受的最新人身攻击,他拒绝全副武装的安保人员为自己保驾护航,选战期间,这些警卫人员负责保护印度政客的安全。