Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal leaves from the Vidhan Sabha in New Delhi
Chief Minister
Arvind Kejriwal sought to put the record straight today on what perks he and his six Delhi ministers will be accepting and what they shall eschew.
When the arrival at the state assembly of two of his ministers, Rakhi Birla and Saurabh Bhardwaj, in government cars this morning raised eyebrows, the Aam Aadmi Party chief said, "We never said anything about not using cars. We said we will not use red beacon cars."
The Aam Aadmi or common man charm of Ms Birla and other ministers has been on full display ever since they were sworn in on Saturday last. Most have so far been spotted using public transport or hitching rides to work.
Yesterday, the party proved majority in the state Assembly with the help of the Congress, which means that the question hanging over the fate of the government it has formed is gone for now. The Congress has promised that it will continue to prop the AAP government up and demonstrated that again today by supporting its choice for Speaker. (
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Chief Minister Kejriwal, who has so far operated for a week from his residence in suburban Ghaziabad, will now soon move to a 5-bedroom duplex house on Bhagwan Das Road in the heart of Delhi. (
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The new accommodation is not as grand as his predecessor Sheila Dikshit's bungalow, but it is not quite the
aam Delhi home either.
And he will have two of those, he shared today. "There are two flats, with 5 bedrooms each. We will be staying in only one. The other will be the office. I can work early morning and late night there," Mr Kejriwal said.
Mr Kejriwal's one-year-old party made a dazzling debut in the Delhi elections last month riding on its promise to rid the capital of corruption. He has also repeatedly asserted that his ministers and he continue to be
aam aadmi or common people and will not subscribe to the VIP culture that prevails in Indian politics.