NEW DELHI: Arvind Kejriwal on November 26 launched his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and vowed to send “corrupt” ministers to jail within six months of his party being voted to power. Addressing an impressive gathering at Parliament Street in New Delhi, Kejriwal also asserted that Jan Lokpal will be passed in Parliament within 15 days of the AAP coming to power.
“There is no end to the list of corrupt ministers and leaders in the country. All these people should be charged and sent to jail if charges against them are proved. “I assure you people that if the common man’s party and common man comes to power, all these people will be tried and jailed within six months,” he said in his valedictory address at the launch ceremony.
Flanked by Shanti Bhushan and former Navy Chief Admiral Ramdass who drafted the party’s Constitution, he took pains to explain to people assembled there how different his outfit was from the existing political parties whom he accused of having “looted the country since Independence.”
Kejriwal also announced that former Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court Justice Bhagwati Prasad Sharma and Admiral Ramdass will be members of the party’s first “internal Lokpal” which would inquire into any allegations against members and functionaries of the AAP.
He said the 2014 elections would witness a unique political battle which would not be between two political parties, but between politicians and the common man.
“Now it will be neta (politician) versus aam admi (common man). The common man, suffering for the last 65 years, is going to establish his own party and sit in Parliament,” he said.
The activist-turned-politician said November 26 will be remembered for launching a revolution to change the current political system. “We have to snatch the power from politicians which we gave to them 65 years back. We are first-class citizens but victims of a third-class government. We trusted that these politicians will fight for us. But they have been looting the country,” Kejriwal said.
He also administered four oaths to his supporters – I will never give or take bribe; I will never sell my vote for a liquor bottle, money or saree; I will exercise my franchise in every election and I will not vote according to my caste or religion.
At the function, Kejriwal and others also paid rich tributes to those NSG commandos who fought valiantly against terrorists in Mumbai on the same day four years ago. A former NSG commando Surinder Singh, who came out in open alleging that he was not given pension, was honored by Admiral (Retd) L Ramdas.
Asserting that his party would be transparent in its functioning and will put out details of all expenses and donations on its website, Kejriwal dared the Congress and BJP to make public the amount of money they have and they would be spending on advertisements for the Gujarat polls. “Do they have the guts to make them public?” he asked. Kejriwal said jawans and farmers should be given priority and said the family of a jawan should be given at least Rs 1 or 2 crore if he dies fighting for the nation.
“If a person scores century in cricket, he is given Rs 1 crore or 2 crore. I am not saying they should not be given, but Army jawans should also be given money,” he said. Kejriwal also attacked the Government on inflation, saying it was rising only because of corruption and accused the UPA government of shifting Jaipal Reddy from Petroleum Ministry due to “pressure from Reliance”.
He also claimed that the Government waived taxes worth Rs 5 lakh crore every year due from various companies but does not reduce tax burden on common man. The activist-politician also said that everyone who wants to become the party’s founder-member can do so.
-Agencies
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