Kejriwal vows to jail bad politicians if elected
27 Nov 2012
Activist-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal formally launched the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday, with himself as national convenor, at a well-attended gathering in New Delhi's Parliament Street; and among his first promises was passage of the jan lokpal (anti-corruption watchdog) bill within 15 days and send corrupt ministers to jail within six months if voted to power.
"I assure you that if the common man's party and the common man come to power, this will happen,'' Kejriwal said.
Flanked by former law minister Shanti Bhushan and former navy chief Admiral L Ramdas, Kejriwal said, "Now it will be politician versus the common man, who has been suffering for 65 years."
"We are here to destabilise the corrupt government and take back power. Now netas will be on one side and the aam aadmi on the other. Netas will be thrown out soon and the common man will sit in Parliament," he said.
Kejriwal announced the party's first internal lokpal headed by Justice Bhagwati Prasad and Admiral Ramdass. He reiterated that they had been forced to join electoral politics by the inability of the other parties to eradicate corruption.
Kejriwal said the common man's party will be transparent in its functioning and will put details of all expenses and donations on its website.
He challenged the Congress and BJP to make public the amount they are spending on the Gujarat polls.
Later in an interview with a TV news channel, Yogendra Yadav, a key AAP member, admitted that the party's economic agenda was yet to be drafted, including its stand on economic reforms.
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