‘Flying Sikh’ Milkha Singh’s wife, daughter join AAP; he stays away

Chandigarh: Legendary athlete Milkha Singh's wife Nirmal Kaur and their US-based daughter have
joined the Aam Aadmi Party, but the 'Flying Sikh' himself wants to stay away from politics.

Nirmal Kaur, also a yesteryears sportsperson, and her daughter Mona Singh have filled the membership form of Arvind Kejriwal's party and Milka Singh says he respects their decision.

"Yes, they joined the AAP. They filled the form yesterday. Both have said that they were impressed with the aims and objectives of the party and with (Delhi Chief Minister) Arvind Kejriwal's work," Milkha told PTI here today.

Milkha Singh. AFP

When asked if he too was contemplating joining AAP or any other party, Milkha, who represented the country in three Olympics and won four gold medals in the Asian Games in 1958 and 1962, said if he had wanted, he could have entered politics long back when Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi were the prime minister.

"I could have joined politics during Nehru's or Indira Gandhi's time. I don't want to (enter politics). I stay away from these things," he said.

On the decision by his wife and daughter, he said both were mature and even his daughter was nearing 50 years and takes her own decisions.

"I can't stop them," he added. Singh's daughter is a doctor based in the United States, but regularly vists India to meet the family here.

He may be staying away from politics, but Milkha again said that iconic Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar should be appointed Sports Minister of the country as he understands the problems faced by sportsperson and can raise the overall standard.

"Tendulkar should be made the sports minister. He has full knowledge about sports and it can be of immense help in lifting the standard of sports in the country. If he becomes the minister, the standard of sports will definitely go up," Singh, who missed out on a bronze in the 400m race in 1960 Rome Olympics by a whisker, said.

The 'Flying Sikh' said that over the years his fight has been with the government to acknowledge the contributions made by the sportspersons.

"Why can't sportspersons like Tendulkar or PT Usha be appointed as Governors and Ambassadors. If politicians or retired bureaucrats could be appointed as Governors and Ambassador, why can't the sportspersons be considered for such posts?" Milkha asked.

PTI

How Arvind Kejriwal may turn the middle class against itself

The rainbow coalition of middle classes that brought the Aam Aadmi Party to power in Delhi — from the emerging consuming classes at the bottom end to the car — and home-owning classes at the top - is in danger of unravelling rather quickly. The reason: the Kejriwal government's hasty moves to show it can deliver in two months what others could not in 67 years.

AAP's crass short-term political motivations and calculations will destroy the very middle class consolidation and political activism that brought it to power. This story will probably not play out in 2014 or in the next Delhi assembly elections, but over the next two years. This is because the party is too new to be discarded by its enthusiastic backers so fast.

Arvind Kejriwal. AFP

The problem for the urban middle class has always been that it has felt politically disempowered as the powerful cabal that ruled India has seen the rural vote as critical for its survival. But India is 32 percent urban, and the urban middle class vote has been rediscovered - first by Narendra Modi and now by AAP.

In closely contested elections in a first-past-the-post electoral system, this vote has begun to matter - and this is why two-thirds of Delhi voted against the Congress. It could do so in some other urban centres too.

However, the middle class vote is actually split between BJP and AAP. And in its greed for a complete majority in Delhi and for creating a national footprint in a jiffy, AAP is actually likely to end up splitting its own middle class vote further by sharpening this class coalition's internal contradictions.

Nothing illustrates this point better than AAP's decision to ask common people to use its anti-corruption helpline to conduct stings on officials who seek bribes.

Unlike AAP's two earlier moves - free water and cheap power - which do not directly pit one segment of the middle class against another - this one will split the AAP support base right down the middle. And if AAP turns clerarly Left, the middle class may desert it substantially.

Political analysts may argue that AAP was elected on an anti-corruption platform, and so it had to prove its credentials quickly or risk losing credibility. However, the way it has chosen to do so will damage the coalition.

For a start, let me disagree with the idea that the AAP vote is purely an anti-corruption one. It is a bit of that, but five different factors combined to bring it to power on the middle class vote: the collapse of governance under UPA-2 at the centre; the complete lack of political sensitivity to middle class concerns on urban service delivery (safety of women, poor public transport, corruption in the delivery of basic municipal services, etc), perceived transfer of urban revenues to cater to rural vote banks, and lack of political opportunities in traditional mainstream and regional parties.

The big-ticket corruption scandals swirling around UPA-2 (2G, Coalgate) mattered only in the context of the sense that rural-backed politicians were siphoning resources for their private or caste or regional benefit.

Seen another way, the middle class upsurge against Sheila Dikshit is actually the result of a many things coming together at the wrong time for her. The irony is Dikshit is not essentially an anti-middle class politician. The BJP moved in too late with its changes in Delhi leadership to capitalise on this. AAP gained.

However, there is a misunderstanding about what the middle class really wants: it wants governance, which is about eliminating minor corruption in our day-to-day dealings with government. The middle class is not genetically anti-corruption. It seeks economic growth and stability and its antagonism to small-time corruption is less real than it seems. This is where Kejriwal's encouragement to aam aadmi stings against day-to-day corruption could backfire by splitting the middle class.

Ask yourself: whom will the stings sting? The babus who man the government are part of the same middle class. Will they be happy to be sacked or suspended when they themselves are victims of more powerful vested interests? The autorickshaw drivers who backed AAP are always at odds with the middle class users of three-wheeler transport. Will stings on auto drivers who always demand more than metered fares (or use faulty meters) turn two groups that backed Kejriwal against one another?

Also remember: Kejriwal is expecting the ordinary everyday victim of babudom to fight his battles, but once stings become a free-for-all, it is more than likely that criminal elements will use this to target people for blackmail and extortion. Will the middle class still be eager to do his stings?

Moreover, AAP also fails to notice that the middle class is as much a bribe giver as taker. Who bribes the traffic policeman when caught for jumping a signal? Who offers speed money to get work done at government offices? The same middle class that hopes to use stings to fix corrupt babus will blow its top if babudom uses the spycam in a reverse sting to nail people offering a bribe to them. The boot will then be on the other foot.

The worst middle class nightmare would be if economic anarchy generated by stings and counter-stings results is a complete breakdown in governance and slows decision-making in government. A low-trust government-public interface will become a no-trust situation very rapidly.

Kejriwal's political calculations are likely to destroy the very hope he engendered in the urban middle class. And by cynically playing the Congress' game of trying to spoil the BJP's chances by a premature expansion of AAP nationally, we are not only going to have a hung parliament in May, but send the split middle class back to a sulk at home.

AAP needs to correct course or end up as the biggest political copout of this decade.

Lok Sabha 2014 will see big jump in youth voter-turnout: Researcher

The Aam Admi Party couldn't have chosen a better time to go national. According to a soon-t0-be released book titled Indian Youth and Electoral Politics: An Emerging Engagement edited by Sanjay Kumar, psephologist and professor at the Centre for Study of Developing Societies, not only are young Indians showing a growing interest in electoral politics but a unexpectedly high percentage among them have aspirations to actively join politics given the opportunity.

Arvind Kejriwal. AP image

Not surprising then that the recently concluded assembly elections saw a significant increase in voter-turnout among the youth in all five states, and not just in Delhi which saw the explosion of AAP on to the political scene. While voter-turnout among the youth in Delhi was not higher than in the other four states, what is significant is that the Arvind Kejriwal-led party bagged 47-48 per cent youth vote in the state. With the emergence of AAP as the new party of choice for the youth, the BJP and Congress have been forced to rethink their strategies for tapping the youth voter.

Firstpost spoke to Kumar about the factors that have led to this 'emerging engagement' of the youth with electoral politics and what it means for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Excerpts from the interview:

What led you to undertake this study?

Soon after the 2009 Lok Sabha elections there was a lot of buzz about the House having many young Parliamentarians. But the number of young MPs was not high compared to that of the previous Parliament. That raised our curiosity. We then realised that many of the young MPs were sons and daughters of senior politicians from various political parties. That prompted us to do a more careful study on whether young candidates attract young voters and whether there is a relationship between young voters and young candidates. We then randomly picked up 20 parliamentary constituencies where young MPs were either elected or were runners-up in the 2009 LS election. We also looked at what young voters are attracted to, whether they vote differently and so on.

Are young voters more likely to vote for younger candidates?

Our study did not indicate that. We expected that if there was a young candidate, young voters would vote for him or her but we didn't find any relationship between two. People want candidate who are honest and can deliver. Being young is not an attraction.

The title of the books speaks of an 'emerging engagement.' What is the nature of this engagement and how did you measure it?

One measure, is their actual involvement in politics - their participation in election rallies, membership in a political party, voting history and so on. The second is their engagement with ideas. Would they support, for example, the right to recall a candidate or the use of NOTA , or support a retirement age for politicians. And we tried to look at what proportion of the youth supported those ideas. So we measured engagement in terms of actual participation and in terms of their support for ideas to do with political reform.

What factors are driving young people engage more with politics?

The youth are interested in politics and their interest in it is rising. But they want to engage in politics of a different kind, not the kind of politics they have been seeing for the last 30 years. They support ideas to clean politics, of having a retirement age, of having a provision to recall representatives if they are not performing. The interest is there. Their only disappointment is with the kind of people who are contesting elections. But they are looking forward to engaging in politics if there is a different kind of politics.

AAP has become a big hit with the young voters. What is AAP doing right?

The youth voted for AAP in Delhi in big numbers. Out of 100 youth voters between the age of 18 and 25, about 47-48 voted for AAP. Overall in Delhi we know their vote-share is about 30 per cent. You can clearly see that vote among young voters for AAP was 17-18 per cent high. This was mainly because AAP provided a platform for the youth to get associated with the party and given serious roles in the party. AAP has a different type of electoral campaign. By using social media they were able to involve a large number of youth. And also the issues they chose- fight against corruption, price rise, these are issues that has attracted the youth.

In the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, are we likely to see the youth turn out in much larger numbers to vote?

Over the last five Lok Sabha elections and the various assembly elections, the youth have voted in lesser numbers compared to other age groups. The difference in voter-turnout was about 4-5 per cent in all the Lok Sabha elections. But the recent round of assembly elections that were held in Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram, we saw a huge increase in youth voting turnout. But it is still slightly less compared to turnout in voters in other age group of voters. There is a trend of youth voting in more numbers compared to that in the past. And this trend will continue in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections as well. Certainly, there will be an increase in their electoral participation in 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

What is going to be main challenge for political parties to tap the youth?

Giving youth an equal platform to participate in elections will be their biggest challenge. When it comes to campaigning or working for the party, the youth are working hard but when it comes to contesting elections, they realise that they have an unequal chance. Those close to senior leaders end up getting the tickets and the youth are left out. That is a great disappointment for them. Parties need to address that. Providing an equal playing field for all in the party, that is challenge for the political parties.

What about attracting young voters?

I don't think there is need for parties to do anything special about that. The voter turnout among youth is already increased in recent elections. I expect this trend to continue in the Lok Sabha elections. The need is for greater enrolment from the youth. There is a pattern of the youth being under-represented in the electoral rolls because of several reasons. The requirement, therefore, is to get more youth enrolled to vote. I don't think there is any need for extra effort to motivate young people to vote. That will automatically happen. It has already started happening.

Are factors such as technology, social media, new political possibilities enabling young people to engage more now?

The study didn't focus on the technology aspect. We did ask questions about their interest in politics and whether they would like to choose politics as a career. And a large proportion of the youth, about 33-34 per cent, said they would like to choose politics as a career. The desire among the youth to engage in politics is evident from this study. But they are looking forward to a kind of politics where there is an equal chance of contesting elections.

How politically aware are young voters?

We asked them many questions on incidents of national importance that have happened in the last four-five years. The awareness level is very high. But if we look at the awareness of the youth compared to that of other age group voters, it is not different. We would expect the youth to be more educated, more politically aware compared to older voters. But the study does not indicate that. The youth are as politically aware as any other age group.

What are the main concerns for youth voters?

When we did the study, the Anna Hazare movement had not yet started. Since then, I am sure, corruption has become a big issue. At that time it was unemployment, poverty, price rise.

In the past, have there been similar phases where there has been a surge in participation of the youth in the electoral process?

There have been instances in the past when youth have taken an interest in politics. Soon after the Emergency, the 1977 national election was a time when the youth participated in elections in big numbers. The second instance was in the 1989 Lok Sabha elections when VP Singh became a kind youth icon. They came out on the streets and voted for him in big way. Though we don't have any specific data about that, these are the two instances nationally when we have seen youth participation and mobilisation in big numbers.

I would say that every time there was an excess of some kind about which people got fed up and there was an alternate platform provided, the youth came out large numbers and participated.Between 1975-77, it was the excess of the Emergency and the Janata Party led by Jayaprakash Narayan provided the alternative. The election in 1989 was held in the backdrop of the Bofors scandal and V P Singh, having resigned from the Congress, created a political platform.

Now is also a time when the country has witnessed, or at least there have been serious allegations, of corruption scandals. Arvind Kejriwal and initially Anna Hazare led the anti-corruption movement. This is the right time for the youth to participate in the electoral process.

Live: Kejriwal apologises for not being able to meet all at Janata Darbar

3. 20 pm: Kejriwal apologises for not being able to meet everyone at Janata Darbar

In a press conference, the Delhi Chief Minister apologised for not being able to meet everyone at the Janata Darbar today. "I'm sorry that we were not able to attend to everyone today at the Janata Darbar. Next time we will hold it at the bigger place," he said.

Kejriwal said he can't give the date of next Darbar and will decide with officers and then release it.

3. 00 pm:  Kejriwal welcomes former journalist Ashutosh to AAP

Arvind Kejriwal welcomes former IBN 7 journalist Ashutosh to Aam Aadmi Party and said that it was a proud moment for them.

In his first press conference after joining the party, Ashutosh said that his priority is not polls, but to work for the party. "After the fight for independence, this is the first time the country wants to bring change. I am thankful to Kejriwal for making me a part of it," he said.

12:22 pm: Somnath Bharti only minister still at AAP's Janata Darbar

Law Minister Somnath Bharti is the only minister still listening to people at Janata Darbar while all others have left. He says he will take people's issues to the concerned ministry.

11. 50 am: Kiran Bedi hits out at Kejriwal and his team

Former IPS officer Kiran Bedi hits out at Arvind Kejriwal and his team for addressing people from the rooftop of Delhi Secretariat. She tweets, "For god's sake, Arvind and Team, Secretariats are not run from Rooftops. Please take time to listen/absorb. And then take considered decisions."

Leadership which opts to preside over destiny of millions is for delivering with comprehensive understanding not learning at people's cost!

— Kiran Bedi (@thekiranbedi) January 11, 2014

 

Governance demands solid maturity of Governance+Administration which institutionalizes change Secretariat is meant for!Not Streets always!

— Kiran Bedi (@thekiranbedi) January 11, 2014

 

11:45 am: No Janata Darbar for the next 5 days, says Kejriwal

Arvind Kejriwal comes back to the Janata Darbar with Manish Sisodia. Addressing the people from the rooftop of Delhi Secretariat, the chief minister apologises for mismanagement. He says there will be no Janata Darbar for at least 5-6 days and left the venue.

11. 00 am: There could have been a stampede, says Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that he had to leave the Janata Darbar because of the chaos. "If i had not left, it could have led to a stampede like situation," he told reporters during a press briefing.

Kejriwal said that Janta Darbar will have to be better organised and that he may postpone it for a day or two.

"It was like a storm. People climbed on top of my table. So I had to leave," he said.

Kejriwal also pointed out that a large number of complainants who went to Janata Darbar were government employees.

10. 40 am: Kejriwal leaves Janta Darbar midway

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has reportedly left the Janata Darbar midway due to huge crowd and chaos. However, other ministers continue to meet people.

Being pushed by the crowd, some people have also decided to leave the venue without any hope of meeting the Delhi Cabinet at Janata Darbar.

10.00 am:  People break barricades at Janata Darbar

The largest crowd is at the table where Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is sitting. There has been a swell in the number of people and the road is jam packed with people coming in with banners, posters and shouting slogans.

There is complete chaos at Janata Darbar. Some people have broken barricades in their eagerness to meet the CM and ministers.

9. 30 am:  Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal arrives for Janata Darbar

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal along with his Cabinet ministers on Saturday will address grievances of the people at a Janata Darbar outside Delhi Secretariat. It is Kejriwal's first Janata Darbar after he assumed office. Kejriwal said the Delhi Cabinet will engage in this exercise every Saturday morning.

Arvind Kejriwal. Reuters

Security has been increased for the event and the road in front of the Secretariat has been closed till 11 am. One DCP, three ACPs, four inspectors, 50 odd Delhi policemen are being deployed. One company of Shashatra Seema Bal is also deployed.

9.00 am: AAP holds Janta Darbar outside Delhi secretariat

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal along with his entire cabinet will sit in front of the Delhi Secretariat on Saturday to hear the complaints of the people and try to redress them immediately.

The entire stretch of road that goes from ITO towards Rajghat will be closed and barricades have been put up on the divider so that people can sit on one side of the road, while ministers will be sitting on the other side. The janata darbar is scheduled to start at 9.30am and will continue till 11.30am but it can be extended depending on the number of complaints.

On Friday, the chief minister had announced that the entire cabinet will sit in front of the Delhi Secretariat on Saturdays to receive grievances from people and efforts will be made to solve them immediately. On weekdays, one minister will receive grievances from the public.

"Public grievance is another major issue. It is a major issue for any government. It is the duty of every government to resolve those grievances. Public grievance is just a symptom, the disease lies somewhere else," said Kejriwal. Grievances will be segregated into five categories depending upon their urgencies. "The urgent cases related to school admission or admission to a hospital will be resolved on the spot. In the next category, ministers will mention the time frame to resolve the grievance.

"Those related to policy matters will require time. They will be forwarded to the respective ministers for their considerations, he said. The next category will be for taking suggestions from the public. A team will be formed to look into them and regularly put up best of the suggestions to the chief minister.

Another is miscellaneous category and the last is for those which are not related to the government, he added. Kejriwal had said that unlike previous governments, he will not go by the compliance reports filed by the officials but will ensure that the complainant is absolutely satisfied.

 

Kejriwal’s first Janata Darbar gave hope to some, disappointed others

Hopes raised, residents returned from Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's first Janta Durbar clutching coloured rectangular receipts and a promise that their problems will be looked into.

The Delhi Secretariat witnessed unprecedented scenes today after massive crowds showed up at the public meeting called by Kejrwal and his cabinet ministers to redress grievances.

In keeping with AAP's unorthodox style of governance, Kejriwal addressed the crowd from one of roofs overlooking the street. PTI

The chaos and mad rush of people forced Kejriwal to leave shortly after the meeting began, leaving his cabinet ministers Rakhi Birla, Saurabh Bharadwaj and Somnath Bharti to receive complaints.

Seated on plastic chairs and desks on the street outside the Delhi Secretariat, ministers accompanied by personal staff interacted with residents, accepting their written complaints and giving each of them receipts with an ID via which they can track their grievance.

The complaints, said staff accompanying ministers, would be forwarded to relevant departments and their progress will be monitored online by the minister through the ID.

Law minister Bharti's desk received over 200 complaints, many of which, he said, are related to complaints against the police and delay in court cases.

The disorder and lack of proper crowd management left many disappointed with the experience. Many who came with the hope that they would be able to meet the CM complained of poor organisation.

"The government should have anticipated that crowds will be large. It would have served everyone better if people had been called area wise or department wise. The way our complaints were received today, I'm not very hopeful of a solution very soon. No doubt people are happy with his initiative but they will be happier when their problems are solved," said Shyam Lal, an auto driver who has been trying get a permit after it was cancelled by the traffic police three months ago.

Expressing his disappointment at not able to meet the CM, he says, "I came with hope of meeting Kejriwal. But I wasn't able to. If so many people come at once, how will we get a chance to meet him."

Responding to the demand for regularisation and wage hike from contract workers from various departments, at the Janta Durbar, Kejriwal promised to write to all departments on Monday asking why their jobs had not been regularised.

In keeping with AAP's unorthodox style of governance, Kejriwal addressed the crowd from one of roofs overlooking the street. He promised to take a decision on contract workers within a month and call another janta durbar in the next two to three days.

Arvind Kejriwal likely to attend IIT-Kharagpur alumni meet

Kolkata: The alumni meet of the Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur (IIT-K) beginning Jan 17 may be attended by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who graduated in mechanical engineering from the institute in 1989, the alumni cell said Saturday.

"This year, the 1989 batch will be celebrating its silver jubilee. We have sent a formal invitation. We are hopeful he would be coming to meet his batch mates arriving from across the country and even abroad," said Aditi Sharma, general secretary, Students' Alumni Cell.

Arvind Kejriwal. AFP

Besides the 1989 batch, the institute is also hosting the golden jubilee and ruby jubilee of different batches, with over 250 IITians expected to attend.

The West Bengal unit of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has undertaken a membership drive across the state is also hoping to cash in on Kejriwal's visit and planning to organise a mass meeting in the city.

"The membership drive is in full swing and it will really get a big boost with Kejriwal's presence. Although he is yet to confirm his presence, we are working on organising a mass meeting in the city, to be addressed by him," AAP volunteer Jaswant Singh said.

He said party volunteers were in talks with several well-known names from various fields in the state for joining the party with an eye on the coming Lok Sabha elections.

AAP will be organising a seminar in Rishra of Hooghly district Sunday to spread awareness about the party and to boost its membership.

IANS

After chaos, Kejriwal promises better ‘Janata Darbar’

New Delhi: The first "Janata Darbar" of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his ministers Saturday had a chaotic start after thousands thronged the venue, forcing the AAP leader to leave the scene to avoid a possible stampede.

The 45-year-old chief minister later promised a better show -- and soon.

Arvind Kejriwal.

An estimated 5,000 people poured into the open space outside the Delhi Secretariat since early morning, eager to pour out their woes to Kejriwal and his ministers.

But the crowds were so overwhelming that Kejriwal had to retreat to his room in about 45 minutes at the suggestion of Delhi Police.

The chief minister apologized for the poor arrangements, and said later that such was the rush that some over-enthusiastic complainants climbed on his desk and the chairs around him.

Some people broke the barricades meant to keep the crowds in check.

"If I had not left the place, there was a possibility of a stampede. Everybody wanted to meet me," he said, admitting that he didn't anticipate such crowds.

"We will streamline the system so that a similar situation does not recur.
We will improve the system. I will sit with officers and make necessary arrangements," he told reporters.

Later, addressing the crowds from the roof of a single-storey building, Kejriwal said: "We will have another 'Janata Darbar' in four or five days. It will be better organised and better managed."

He also urged the gathering to return to their homes.

Kejriwal, who heads a minority Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, had announced a regular "Janata Darbar" - with his assured presence on Saturdays - so that people feel closer to the administration.

His entire cabinet was present at the meet.

Even after Kejriwal went back to his chamber, three of his six ministers -- Somnath Bharti, Rakhi Birla and Saurabh Bhardwaj -- continued to listen to people's grievances and accept representations.

"I wanted to meet Kejriwal but he was taken inside by police. There is no system in place. Such chaos can lead to a stampede," complained 34-year-old Sonu Sharma.

A resident of Seelampur area, Sharma had come to register a complaint against a power distribution company which he told IANS had accused him of power theft and fined him Rs 2.96 lakh.

Pooja Singh, who too wanted to meet Kejriwal, suggested that the next "Janata Darbar" be held at the sprawling Ramlila Maidan where Kejriwal and his ministers took oath Dec 28.

Many came as early as 6 a.m. to get a vantage point so that they could talk to the chief minister.

Those gathered at the "Janata Darbar" included a large number of government employees -- including teachers and Delhi Transport Corp staff -- who are on contract and were looking for assured employment.

Kejriwal told the gathering that he would get in touch with the concerned government departments and get a report from all of them.

"We will try to sort out this problem within a month," he said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and former police officer Kiran Bedi slammed Kejriwal.

"For God's sake, Arvind and Team, Secretariats are not run from rooftops! Please take time to listen/absorb! And then take considered decisions!" Bedi wrote on Twitter.

Bedi and Kejriwal were part of the anti-corruption campaign of activist Anna Hazare in 2011. But they have fallen out since then.

BJP's Delhi unit president Vijay Goel said the "Janata Darbar" was called Saturday with an eye on the next election, not for people's welfare.

IANS