Aam Aadmi Party ready to sit in Opposition

The man of the moment, the current centre of everyone’s attention, Arvind Kejriwal spoke to dna’s Mayank Aggarwal just after the Delhi Assembly election results were announced. The RTI activist-turned-politician conversed about a range of issues after the historic results.
Edited excerpts of the interview:

What do you think about the election results?
We are ready to sit in the opposition and be a constructive opposition. We will do good work in areas that we have won in. It’s true that we are not forming the government and will neither support anyone nor take anyone’s support. But we will carry out developmental work in the constituencies that we have won and tell the world that good work can be done even if one is in the opposition.

We will use some innovative methods to bring development to the constituencies. Our goal is Swaraj and we will involve people in the decision making at every step. Every single penny will be used or spent by their wishes. People have shown great faith in us and thus AAP and all our candidates will have to be extra responsible now.

What next for the party? Are Lok Sabha elections in your sight?
I think it is the beginning of a new politics in this country and it is not just about AAP. So … good and honest people from across the country and world have to join … the people of this country have to decide and take this movement for clean and honest politics forward. It is for the first time in so many years that a ray of hope has come out in the country … and also that good and honest people are coming together. 

(Arvind Kejriwal refused to spell out the exact plan but sources told dna that the decision for the future will be taken once the party analyses the results.)

Could it have been possible without the thousands of volunteers who came from everywhere –India and abroad – to support you?
What has happened today is a result of their tireless and selfless work. I want to congratulate each and everyone of them. It’s their win. Actually they are the ordinary people, the Aam Aadmi – the mango people  - who saw AAP as a ray of hope. They left their families, their jobs in biggest of companies, their businesses and worked sometimes for over 24 hours continously to make it possible. AAP is nothing without such selfless people.

What happens to these volunteers now?
They will always be with the party. I invite people from India and everywhere to come and join this process of cleansing the system. This process that Aam Aadmi Party has started cannot go forward without involvement of honest people – who are tired with current corrupt and ineffective system – and want to change that.

What do you have to say to the other parties?
We don’t have any personal issues with either Dr Harsh Vardhan or Sheila Dikshit ji. It’s a fight over the kind of politics which was in the country. I want to congratulate Dr Harsh Vardhan.

Do you think there was a Modi or Rahul factor in Delhi elections? 
It’s not about Modi or Rahul factor … these things are not important. Important is the Aam Aadmi.

People of the country are tired – they want to get rid of corruption and inflation.

What if some AAP MLA joins BJP to be part of the Delhi govt?
People have put faith in AAP’s candidates to change the dirty politics and they are committed to doing so. Our broom is here to clean the muck of India’s dirty politics rather than becoming part of that.