NEW DELHI, Dec 22: Clear indications emerged today that the new political outfit AAP will form a Government in Delhi with the backing of the Congress party which it trounced in the recent Assembly elections.
In hints that it may assume power on the back of a positive response to its week-long public referendum, the Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal said they will meet Lt Governor Najeeb Jung tomorrow to apprise him about the party’s decision.
Kejriwal, whose one-year-old party had its roots in the anti-corruption movement, said a final decision on Government formation will be announced tomorrow after analysing the results of the week-long referendum through SMS, IVRS and email and from the public meetings conducted over the weekend.
“Though we have got the overwhelming participation of people during the public meetings and about 80 per cent of them have favoured that party should form the Government but the final decision would be taken after a meeting of Political Affairs Committee,” Kejriwal said.
After this, he said, he would be meeting Jung tomorrow at 12.30 pm.
A civil servant-turned-politician Kejriwal held four public meetings in his New Delhi Assembly constituency, and at all the places majority of people gave their go-ahead to form the government.
He said out of 128 public meetings held, people at 110 places said “yes” to formation of Government with the support from Congress while at only 18 places they said “no”.
The deadlock over Government formation in Delhi continued for nearly two weeks after the announcement of the results on December 8. AAP has 28 seats while Congress with 8 in a House of 70 has agreed to give outside support. BJP is the single largest party with 31 seats in its kitty.
Asked whether he would be able to live up to the promises in the manifesto, Kejriwal said the party would fulfil the “strong manifesto”, which was prepared in consultation with experts.
The AAP leader said that some of the things which are in the manifesto can be implemented “within hours” of forming the Government and it would be done.
Kejriwal accepted it was a unstructured way of conducting the referendum but it gave the party a rough idea about the people’s view on the issue.
In his address at the gatherings, Kejriwal said unlike other parties, his party wants participation of public on important issues and to bring real democracy. “Other political parties have forgotten the real meaning of democracy and they feel the role of common man ends with the casting of their votes.”
Kejriwal said he wanted the referendum on the important issue of forming the Government after there were divergent views within the party.
Also, he was personally against forming of Government with the support of Congress, against whom his party contest elections.
“There are around 1.19 crore voters and we have collectively received around 10-12 lakh responses, which in a way give an indication of the view of the electors,” he said.
The one-year-old AAP emerged as the second largest party winning 28 of the 70 seats, after BJP which cornered 31, in the December 4 Assembly polls.
The debutant party was under pressure to form Government after the single largest party BJP refused to form and Congress wrote to Delhi Lt Governor about giving unconditional support to AAP to form the government.
Asked whether he would be able to live up to the manifesto, Kejriwal said the party would fulfil the promises.
The AAP leader said certain things in the manifesto would be implemented within hours of forming the Government.
On whether he was confident that Congress would allow them to run the Government, he said, “If we form the Government, I am not afraid whether Congress continues support or withdraws it. Let them do that, then there will be fresh elections and then common man will teach them a lesson.”
Asked if his way of going to people over every issue was good for democracy, he said, “This is real democracy and not what is practised by Congress and BJP, behind closed doors. I agree that for all issues it is not possible but people should have the power to decide local issues, like water, road and power.”
He said if decentralisation happens, there would be Swaraj and people of Delhi have shown the nation how it can be done. (PTI)
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