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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Arvind Kejriwal to take Delhi Metro for swearing-in ceremony
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Arvind Kejriwal to take Delhi Metro for swearing-in ceremony

Kejriwal's decision to use public transport echoes pre-poll promise to end 'VIP culture' and set a down-to-earth tone for his new administration

Arvind Kejriwal said he would examine the files and also ask the Centre about the reason for its haste in increasing the prices. Photo: MintPremium
Arvind Kejriwal said he would examine the files and also ask the Centre about the reason for its haste in increasing the prices. Photo: Mint

New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said he will take a metro train to the public grounds where he is to be sworn in as New Delhi’s chief minister.

Kejriwal’s decision to use public transport echoes his pre-poll promise to end the “VIP culture" of Delhi’s political elite and set a down-to-earth tone for his new administration.

“I will take the metro to reach Ram Lila Maidan (ground) for the oath-taking ceremony," Kejriwal, 44, told reporters in Ghaziabad, a satellite city of Delhi.

“My ministers in the cabinet will also take the metro to reach the venue," added Kejriwal, who had turned down a police offer of security cover for him.

Normally, Indian chief ministers and other politicians travel in convoys with sirens wailing, their vehicles packed with armed security men. Traffic is held up as the multi-car convoys pass, often angering motorists.

The Delhi Police Commissioner had also offered a personal security officer (PSO) at all times to the former tax inspector, the Times of India newspaper reported.

But Kejriwal responded: “Thank you for offering me a PSO. But I don’t need any PSO. God is my biggest PSO."

The 44-year-old Kejriwal is the founder leader of the fledgling Aam Aadmi (Common Man) Party which won the second highest number of seats in the state assembly polls earlier this month.

The party, born out of an anti-corruption movement that swept India two years ago, has tapped into a rich vein of anger about everyday graft as well as scandals that have embroiled the national government.

Kejriwal will lead a minority administration after his party accepted support from the Congress party, which ended a distant third in the polls.

The Congress party, in power at a national level, ran New Delhi for years before being trounced in the state elections.

The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the most seats in the assembly but declined to form a government without a majority.

The decision to have the swearing-in ceremony at the Ram Lila Maidan, a sprawling public ground in central Delhi, is a departure from normal practice with such functions usually hosted at the lieutenant governor’s palace.

The ground was also the venue for a massive anti-corruption movement led by Kejriwal’s one-time mentor Anna Hazare.

The duo fell out last year after Kejriwal announced his decision to form his own political outfit.

Kejriwal said his party was keen to have the swearing-in ceremony at a public venue.

“Many people asking me for passes for tomorrow’s oath ceremony. No passes needed. All are welcome. My family will also sit in public," he tweeted on Friday.

Kejriwal only started the party a year ago but has indicated that he wants to field candidates across the country in the general election.

Although analysts say his party has no chance of winning at national level, given its lack of finance and infrastructure, the showing in Delhi has underlined its potential to damage the BJP and Congress when the world’s biggest democracy goes to the polls next year.

Kejriwal questions CNG price hike

Meanwhile, Kejriwal has questioned the move by the Centre to hike prices of compressed natural gas, or CNG, when a new government was to assume power in Delhi in two days’ time. He also suggested that autorickshaw fares in the national capital may be revised as a result of the steep increase.

Kejriwal said he would examine the files and also ask the centre about the reason for its haste in increasing the prices. “What was the need to increase CNG prices when a new government is to take over in Delhi. It raises suspicions about their intention. I will look at the files once I take over tomorrow (on Saturday) and see if the hike can be rolled back," Kejriwal said.

Prices of CNG in the national capital were raised on Thursday by a steep 4.50 per kg in a second increase in rates in three months. CNG will now cost 50.10/kg in Delhi and 56.70/kg in Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad, Indraprastha Gas Ltd (IGL) has said. The hike came into effect from midnight last night.

When told that autorickshaw drivers were unhappy with the hike and planning to go on a strike, Kejriwal said, “They have been associated with us for a long time... when I take charge tomorrow, I will hold consultations with them and try to find out a solution. If necessary, we cannot rule out the possibility of a hike in auto fares in Delhi."

IGL said the rate increase was forced by court orders that led to cut in allocation of cheaper domestic natural gas.

Following a Gujarat high court order, the government ordered all of domestically available natural gas for city gas projects to be equitably distributed among all the companies in the country than convert the fuel into compressed natural gas (CNG) for sale to automobiles. Prior to this, cheaper domestic gas was largely available to firms retailing CNG in Delhi and Mumbai.

Keeping in view the limited domestic availability, the government ordered that about 80% of the requirement of CNG retailers be met from cheaper domestic gas and the rest to be imported.

For IGL, which is the sole retailer of CNG in national capital, the order would not have made a big difference as domestic gas made up for 77-80% of its requirement. But for Mahanagar Gas Ltd, which solely relies on domestic gas for CNG retailing in Mumbai, the cut would have meant a 16 per kg increase in CNG price in the city because of costlier imported LNG coming in to replace the cut in allocation.

With such a steep hike in price on horizon, Mumbai’s auto rickshaw owners association approached Maharashtra high court and got a stay on implementation of the order in the state.

“This essentially meant that our APM (cheaper domestic) gas supply was cut to implement the uniform allocation order (of Gujarat high court that was also upheld up the Supreme Court)," IGL managing director Narendra Kumar told PTI.

IGL’s APM gas allocation was reduced from 23,42,000 cubic meters per day to 22,28,000 cubic meters a day. “APM gas makes up for only 72% of our requirement," he said.

He said the shortfall was made good by increased buying of imported LNG which has led to rise in gas cost by 13%.

“We have not passed on the entire increase to customers. Some 20% of the increase that was due has been absorbed by us," he said.

PTI contributed to this story.

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Published: 27 Dec 2013, 11:17 AM IST
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