Thought public would praise us for quitting: Arvind Kejriwal

Varanasi – As Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal arrived in Varanasi to camp for the next three weeks in his battle against BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, posters have sprung up in the city, describing him as someone who ran away from Delhi.

In an exclusive interview on the banks of Varanasi’s famous Tulsi Ghat, Mr Kejriwal admitted that his abrupt decision to resign as chief minister of Delhi was a mistake.

“The decision on resignation, I think, was one mistake that we made. Resigning on principles was right, we had to do it, but before forming the government in Delhi we had meetings with the public and we sought their views. In the same way, we should have consulted the public before resigning,” he said.

He accepted that they had a “communication problem” but that they acted in haste because the BJP and the Congress “got together and did not allow the AAP government to work”.

“I could have also stuck to the Chief Minister’s position as others do but my soul didn’t agree. I decided to resign. We thought that we had done a big sacrifice, and the public would praise us, but the public couldn’t understand the logic,” the 45-year-old said.

He said that the posters in Varanasi describing him as a “bhagoda” (someone who flees) had been put up by the BJP, but he accepted that those questions are following him everywhere.

“I agree,” he said, “in many places, public is asking why I quit.”

At the same time, he denied it was an irresponsible act. The AAP chief said that he has not run away anywhere and that, if given a chance, his party is ready to fight elections and form the government in Delhi again.