’God will protect me’, says Arvind Kejriwal as he refuses security

mangaloretoday.com

New Delhi, Dec 23:  The man who will be Delhi’s new chief minister has formally notified the police that he will not accept security cover.  "I don’t need any security. I don’t need any escort...God is my biggest security," Arvind Kejriwal said in a letter to the Delhi Police today. (Read full letter) He also told NDTV that among his priorities will be "ending the VIP culture" of the capital.

The 44-year-old former tax official will head the minority government formed by his one-year-old Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which won the second highest number of seats in the state elections earlier this month.

 

His party has said its ministers will not accept large government bungalows or cars that flash the lal batti or red beacon to grab right of way, often creating large traffic jams.

The Congress, which was crushed after 15 years of governing Delhi, will provide external support for the government.

Although BJP won the most seats in Delhi, it refused to form government without a majority.

Mr Kejriwal had been wary of accepting support from either Congress or the BJP, given that many voters cited the two parties’ record on corruption as their reason for siding with the Aam Aadmi Party.

But his party said over the weekend that 74 per cent of supporters who took part in an informal poll had endorsed the idea of it forming a government.


AAP cabinet likely to include young professionals

AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal with party leaders Manish Sisodia and Yogendra Singh Yadav addresses a press conference in New Delhi. PTI Photo by Manvender Vashist

The following is a list of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators who could be part of Arvind Kejriwal’s cabinet:

Manish Sisodia: A 41-year-old former journalist who came to light in the Jan Lokpal movement, Sisodia routed Nakul Bhardwaj of BJP by 11,478 votes from Patparganj. He holds a diploma in journalism. He was born into a Rajput family in Hapur district in Uttar Pradesh.

Saurabh Bhardwaj: An engineer by profession who has also studied law, the 34-year-old defeated Ajay Kumar Malhotra, son of veteran BJP leader V.K. Malhotra, by 13,092 votes in Greater Kailash.

Vinod Kumar Binny: At 40, Binny, elected from Laxmi Nagar in east Delhi, is a gradaute from Delhi University. He defeated Delhi health minister A.K. Walia by some 8,000 votes. He was a member of the Congress from 2009 to 2011 but left it after joining the Jan Lokpal movement.

Somnath Bharti: He pursued a degree in law after doing his Masters in science from the IIT-Delhi.  The 39-year-old was also president of the IIT-Delhi alumni association. He defeated two heavyweights -- BJP’s Arti Mehra and Kiran Walia of Congress -- in Malviya Nagar.

Rakhi Birla: Another former journalist, she is the youngest in the likely ministers list. The 26-year-old holds a Masters degree in journalism. She defeated Raj Kumar Chauhan, a minister in the Sheila Dikshit government, from Mangolpuri by 10,585 votes.

Bandana Kumari: Another 39-year-old, she is a graduate who fights for the cause of poor women. She defeated BJP’s Ravinder Nath Bansal by over 10,000 votes from Shalimar Bagh.Jarnail Singh: Educated upto Class 12, the 32-year-old owns a water purifier company. He defeated Rajiv Babber of BJP from Tilak Nagar in west Delhi by 2,088 votes.