NEW DELHI // Arvind Kejriwal promised to make Delhi India’s first corruption-free state and end what he called its “VIP culture” as he was sworn in as chief minister on Saturday in front of a huge crowd of cheering supporters.
The veteran antigraft campaigner also said he would not succumb to arrogance after his upstart Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won one of the biggest election victories the Indian capital has ever seen.
Mr Kejriwal’s first term as chief minister lasted just 49 days and ended in chaos a year ago, sparking accusations he was fleeing the tough job of administration.
Despite that, his party took all but three of the 70 state parliament seats in elections held last Saturday after pledges to tackle entrenched corruption and lower utility bills won over legions of working-class voters willing to give him a second chance.
It was a remarkable turnaround for the 46-year-old former civil servant, who most pundits had written off after his AAP party won just four seats in last year’s general elections.
In his inauguration speech, Mr Kejriwal admitted he had been over-ambitious in fielding so many candidates in the general election, and promised to focus on running the capital.
“I have decided that for the next five years we will only focus on Delhi. I will serve Delhi with all my heart,” he told the gathered crowd at the open-air ceremony.
“I will make Delhi corruption-free within five years. If somebody asks for a bribe, don’t say no. Just take your mobile out of your pocket and record it on your phone. You then come and give it to me. We will take the toughest action against the offenders.”
On Saturday he said his government would eschew the trappings of power, including the red beacons that allow senior politicians to glide through traffic in the gridlocked city.
“In developed countries, even PMs wait at bus stands. Why can’t the same happen here?” he said.
“We want to end the VIP culture in this country.”
On Saturday he said the Congress party, which ruled Delhi for over a decade before suffering a humiliating defeat at the polls, had paid the price for being “arrogant”.
“They lost in Delhi because of their arrogance. So we must not let our victory go to our heads,” he said.
The new chief minister wore a white paper cap bearing the words “complete self-rule” -- a reference to his ambition to secure greater autonomy for Delhi.
The central government retains greater powers in Delhi than in most states.
Tens of thousands turned out for the open-air ceremony at the Ramlila ground where Mr Kejriwal also chose to have his first inauguration, in a break from the tradition of taking the oath in the state assembly.
* Agence France-Presse