Arvind Kejriwal's swearing in as chief minister of Delhi this Saturday will be a grand affair and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet are invited, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said today.
"We want to invite the prime minister, all union ministers and Delhi MPs," senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia said. After defeating the BJP in the Delhi election, AAP has reached out to the government today and in various meetings, discussed plans for the capital.
PM Modi has given Mr Kejriwal an appointment at 10.30 am tomorrow. He is expected to formally invite PM Modi to the swearing in ceremony at Ramlila Maidan, the venue of the 2011 anti-corruption campaign that brought Mr Kejriwal to the national spotlight.
The Prime Minister, however, has a packed schedule this weekend. He is flying out to Maharashtra on Saturday morning. Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu has also said he has a prior appointment.
"Our biggest invitation is to the people. Every citizen is becoming chief minister," Mr Sisodia said. Since yesterday, Mr Kejriwal, who calls himself the people's chief minister, has been heard on the radio urging everyone to join him for the oath ceremony.
This is likely to be a logistical challenge for the police and the administration, as the Ram Lila maidan can accommodate one lakh people at a time and is located in the heart of Delhi.
Kiran Bedi, who ran for chief minister against Mr Kejriwal but lost even in her own constituency, is also an invitee and so is Anna Hazare.
The 77-year-old activist who mentored Mr Kejriwal, did not attend his previous oath ceremony in 2013 and is unlikely to come for this one. The two drifted apart after Mr Kejriwal formed his political party, a move that Anna Hazare disapproved of.
"What will I do by attending the swearing-in? I have already congratulated him," Anna Hazare was quoted as saying in news reports.
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