Your son has become the CM: Kejriwal says at Ramlila Maidan
NEW DELHI : Beginning with the chant of ‘Bharat mata ki jai’, Arvind Kejriwal addressed the thousands at Ramlila Maidan and said, “Your son has become the Chief Minister for the third time.” Referring himself as Delhi’s “son”, he said this is not his victory but of every single Delhiite.
He called it the victory of every Delhi resident, every mother, sister, youth, student and family. He added that the AAP’s intent has always been to bring happiness to the lives of every Delhi resident.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal was sworn in as Delhi’s chief minister for the third consecutive time on Sunday at the Ramlila Maidan. In his address after taking oath, Kejriwal said he wants to work in harmony with the Centre and also sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s blessings for smooth governance in the capital.
“I had sent an invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji for this event. He could not come…maybe he is busy at some other event. Through this platform, I want to take blessings of the Prime Minister and central government for smooth governance and development of Delhi,” said the AAP supremo, who has had several run-ins with the Centre in the past.
Kejriwal said he has “forgiven” his opponents for the remarks they made during the poll campaign. “This is not my win, this is the victory of every Delhiite, of every family. In the last five years, our only effort has been to bring happiness and relief to every Delhiite,” said the CM.
“Elections are over, it doesn’t matter who you voted for, now all Delhiites are my family. I will work for everyone, be it from any party, any religion, caste or strata of society. I am not just AAP’s chief minister. I am BJP’s chief minister, I am Congress’s chief minister, I am everyone’s chief minister,” he said.
Dedicating his victory to the people, Mr Kejriwal, in his address, said, “Elections are over now. No matter who you voted for, you are part of my family.Party affiliations never stopped me from working for anyone”. He also took on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for its remarks on AAP attracting voters by providing freebies.“Some people say Kejriwal is giving everything for free.
Nature has ensured every valuable thing in the world is free, be it Mother’s love, father’s blessings or Shravan Kumar’s dedication. So, Kejriwal loves his people and hence this love is free,” he said. Soon after AAP victory became evident last Tuesday, several BJP leaders had said it was the AAP’s promises of freebies, and not governance policies that attracted voters.
Kejriwal is the first and the only Delhi chief minister who has opted for Ramlila Maidan as the venue for his oath ceremonies. All his predecessors always took oath at the Raj Niwas.
The AAP had earlier said all ministers would continue to hold the same portfolios. Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, Gopal Rai, Kailash Gahlot, Rajendra Pal Gautam and Imran Hussain were sworn in as ministers on Sunday.Arvind Kejriwal and his six ministers took oath today at a mega ceremony at Ramlila Maidan, outside Delhi’s iconic Red Fort, that was attended by a huge crowd.
The party had invited the teachers of Delhi schools to the ceremony, saying the educators have been the architect of the Delhi’s transformation in the past five years. It also invited 50 representatives from different sectors for their contribution to governance.
These included angandwadi and doorstep delivery workers, representatives of education, healthcare and infrastructure sectors, safai karamchari, public transport staff, bus marshals and farmers.
A social activist and a former Joint Commissioner in the I-T department, Kejriwal is known for his commitment towards the Right to Information (RTI) and struggle for the Jan Lokpal.
Delhi has re-elected Mr Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party with 62 seats – a near repeat of its 2015 tally of 67 seats -at the end of one of the most polarising campaigns in the backdrop of the anti-CAA protests.
In a tweet this morning, Mr Kejriwal asked the people of Delhi to bless their son. “Taking oath today for the third time as the Delhi CM. Please come to Ramlila Maidan to bless your son,” his tweet in Hindi read.
(Pic: Indian Express).
