After chaos at Delhi Secretariat, 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

Delhi police says better planning needed after Kejriwal’s darbar chaos

New Delhi: A stampede-like situation at the Delhi Government's 'janta darbar' arose as more than expected number of people reached the spot, Delhi Police today said as it maintained that better planning by administration was as much required as stepping up of security.

"More than expected number of people had thronged the venue which led to the chaos. Better planning is needed not just on part of the police but also of the administration. Like people could be called subject wise, area wise or ministry wise. There needs to be a filter of some sort," said a senior Delhi Police official on condition of anonymity.

Security personnel trying to control crowd during Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's inaugural 'Janata Darbar'. PTI

The official said that a large number of police personnel can be deployed and strict crowd control measure could be implemented from next time onwards but this would defeat the very idea of a public hearing.

"There were around 500 police personnel at the Delhi Secretariat for the public meeting other than around 400-500 personnel of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). We can deploy more security but then the real purpose of a 'janta darbar' will be lost as the common man will not be able to reach the Chief Minister or minister he or she wants to meet," he said.

One thing which hugely caused the situation to go out of hand is that various unions and organised groups reached for the meet. Such an event is for individuals whose grievances are not heard elsewhere or for people like senior citizens or disabled people, he said.

"Such organisations should be given a separate opportunity so that they don't start protesting at a janta darbar," the official said.

AAP government's much-talked-about first 'janta darbar' outside the Delhi Secretariat here today witnessed chaos and mismanagement, forcing Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to leave the venue midway as hundreds jostled with each other to register their grievances.

Kejriwal later admitted that if he had not left the meeting midway, there could have been a stampede. He also promised to "streamline" the system so that similar situation does not recur.

PTI

Mr Kejriwal, stop Janata Darbar in Delhi, this isn’t Mughal era

Does Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal consider himself an avatar of Mughal emperor Jahangir? Though he doesn't reside in the Agra Fort or likes to be called Jahanpanah, his antic of holding a darbar- e-aam seems inspired by the Mughal Sultanate.

Jahangir, if you've read history or Amar Chitra Katha, was famous for his system of personal hearing and his 'golden chain of justice.' During his reign, anybody could stand outside his fort in Agra and request a personal audience with the emperor. For this, the supplicant had to just pull any of the 60 bells outside the castle.
Installing the bell of justice, or insaaf ka ghanta as it was called then, was among Jahangir's first orders after he ascended the throne in 1605. This was done to ensure if those engaged in the administration of justice failed in their duty, the aggrieved could draw the emperor's attention without fear.

Kejriwal's attempt to hold a darbar on the roads of Delhi could have easily passed off as a spectacle from the Mughal era except that the chaos, screaming, shouting and mismanagement would have made even Jahangir hang his head in shame.

But Kejriwal should stop the spectacle. This isn't medieval India. India is no longer run by Badshahs or Shenshahs. Atavistic ideas from history have no place in a modern democracy like ours.

Jahanpanah, are you listening? Naresh Sharma/ Firstpost

Why does a chief minister of a city-state like Delhi need to sit in the middle of the road to hear the public? Is the CM a lowly babu who has to deal with applications? Or does he consider himself the final court of appeal capable of dispensing justice at the pull of a bell? If the answer to any of these is yes, we need a re-poll in Delhi.

Jahangir's day and age were different. In a thriving democracy, with a huge, well-paid, well-fed executive, if an aam aadmi has to travel right up to the chief minister, it indicts the entire system for failure. It shows that every tier of executive—the babus, the bade babus and their officers—has become dysfunctional. Is that the case in Delhi? There may be merits in the argument that people face problems in getting their work done; they come across obstacles when they want to be heard. But to believe that the entire system has failed and everybody needs to shake emperor Kejriwal's bell of justice would be ridiculous.

Frankly, what is it that Kejriwal is trying to achieve except some publicity and TV time? It would be insane to believe that he would be able to solve every petitioner's problem just by personally hearing him. The sheer magnitude of complaints he is required to redress would make it impossible for Kejriwal to focus on even a small percentage of them. Soon the backlog would start mounting and people would start calling him inefficient and incompetent.

That Kejriwal's public hearings would not yield results isn't a personal opinion. It is supported by evidence from similar experiments by several other politicians and chief ministers.

Take, Rajasthan for example. Janata darbars were a salient feature of Ashok Gehlot's administrative style. Every day he used to meet hundreds of people who would queue up at his residence for a minute of the CM's time. In the end, all Gehlot could do was to accept their applications and pass it on to the babus who accompanied him. In short, a petitioner would travel all the way from his home, often in remote villages, only to find his problem being passed on to a clerk. Though Gehlot continued to hold his darbars—even Vasundhara Raje has retained the system—but it seldom helped in solving grievances. The same people would keep returning to the darbar complaining that nothing had happened in spite of the CM's personal interest in their problem.

Instead of forcing people to jostle with each other for a minute with him, Kejriwal should ideally work on strengthening the existing system. The focus should be on ensuring that problems are solved at the lowest level of the administrative hierarchy. Instead of making people come to his door, Kejriwal should create a system where the administration goes to the aam aadmi to solve his problem. Kejriwal needs to repair the existing pyramid, instead of turning it upside down.

Even if he is keen on interacting with his janata, Kejriwal should use technology—heard of emails, text messages, helplines?—instead of sticking to ideas that looked innovative 500 years ago.

Jahanpanah, are you listening?

Mr Kejriwal, stop your Delhi Darbars, this isn’t Mughal era

Does Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal consider himself an avatar of Mughal emperor Jahangir? Though he doesn't reside in the Agra Fort or likes to be called Jahanpanah, his antic of holding a darbar- e-aam seems inspired by the Mughal Sultanate.

Jahangir, if you've read history or Amar Chitra Katha, was famous for his system of personal hearing and his 'golden chain of justice.' During his reign, anybody could stand outside his fort in Agra and request a personal audience with the emperor. For this, the supplicant had to just pull any of the 60 bells outside the castle.
Installing the bell of justice, or insaaf ka ghanta as it was called then, was among Jahangir's first orders after he ascended the throne in 1605. This was done to ensure if those engaged in the administration of justice failed in their duty, the aggrieved could draw the emperor's attention without fear.

Kejriwal's attempt to hold a darbar on the roads of Delhi could have easily passed off as a spectacle from the Mughal era except that the chaos, screaming, shouting and mismanagement would have made even Jahangir hang his head in shame.

But Kejriwal should stop the spectacle. This isn't medieval India. India is no longer run by Badshahs or Shenshahs. Atavistic ideas from history have no place in a modern democracy like ours.

Jahanpanah, are you listening? Naresh Sharma/ Firstpost

Why does a chief minister of a city-state like Delhi need to sit in the middle of the road to hear the public? Is the CM a lowly babu who has to deal with applications? Or does he consider himself the final court of appeal capable of dispensing justice at the pull of a bell? If the answer to any of these is yes, we need a re-poll in Delhi.

Jahangir's day and age were different. In a thriving democracy, with a huge, well-paid, well-fed executive, if an aam aadmi has to travel right up to the chief minister, it indicts the entire system for failure. It shows that every tier of executive—the babus, the bade babus and their officers—has become dysfunctional. Is that the case in Delhi? There may be merits in the argument that people face problems in getting their work done; they come across obstacles when they want to be heard. But to believe that the entire system has failed and everybody needs to shake emperor Kejriwal's bell of justice would be ridiculous.

Frankly, what is it that Kejriwal is trying to achieve except some publicity and TV time? It would be insane to believe that he would be able to solve every petitioner's problem just by personally hearing him. The sheer magnitude of complaints he is required to redress would make it impossible for Kejriwal to focus on even a small percentage of them. Soon the backlog would start mounting and people would start calling him inefficient and incompetent.

That Kejriwal's public hearings would not yield results isn't a personal opinion. It is supported by evidence from similar experiments by several other politicians and chief ministers.

Take, Rajasthan for example. Janata darbars were a salient feature of Ashok Gehlot's administrative style. Every day he used to meet hundreds of people who would queue up at his residence for a minute of the CM's time. In the end, all Gehlot could do was to accept their applications and pass it on to the babus who accompanied him. In short, a petitioner would travel all the way from his home, often in remote villages, only to find his problem being passed on to a clerk. Though Gehlot continued to hold his darbars—even Vasundhara Raje has retained the system—but it seldom helped in solving grievances. The same people would keep returning to the darbar complaining that nothing had happened in spite of the CM's personal interest in their problem.

Instead of forcing people to jostle with each other for a minute with him, Kejriwal should ideally work on strengthening the existing system. The focus should be on ensuring that problems are solved at the lowest level of the administrative hierarchy. Instead of making people come to his door, Kejriwal should create a system where the administration goes to the aam aadmi to solve his problem. Kejriwal needs to repair the existing pyramid, instead of turning it upside down.

Even if he is keen on interacting with his janata, Kejriwal should use technology—heard of emails, text messages, helplines?—instead of sticking to ideas that looked innovative 500 years ago.

Jahanpanah, are you listening?

Mr Kejriwal, stop Darbars on Delhi streets, this isn’t Mughal era

Does Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal consider himself an avatar of Mughal emperor Jahangir? Though he doesn't reside in the Agra Fort or likes to be called Jahanpanah, his antic of holding a darbar- e-aam seems inspired by the Mughal Sultanate.

Jahangir, if you've read history or Amar Chitra Katha, was famous for his system of personal hearing and his 'golden chain of justice.' During his reign, anybody could stand outside his fort in Agra and request a personal audience with the emperor. For this, the supplicant had to just pull any of the 60 bells outside the castle.
Installing the bell of justice, or insaaf ka ghanta as it was called then, was among Jahangir's first orders after he ascended the throne in 1605. This was done to ensure if those engaged in the administration of justice failed in their duty, the aggrieved could draw the emperor's attention without fear.

Kejriwal's attempt to hold a darbar on the roads of Delhi could have easily passed off as a spectacle from the Mughal era except that the chaos, screaming, shouting and mismanagement would have made even Jahangir hang his head in shame.

But Kejriwal should stop the spectacle. This isn't medieval India. India is no longer run by Badshahs or Shenshahs. Atavistic ideas from history have no place in a modern democracy like ours.

Jahanpanah, are you listening? Naresh Sharma/ Firstpost

Why does a chief minister of a city-state like Delhi need to sit in the middle of the road to hear the public? Is the CM a lowly babu who has to deal with applications? Or does he consider himself the final court of appeal capable of dispensing justice at the pull of a bell? If the answer to any of these is yes, we need a re-poll in Delhi.

Jahangir's day and age were different. In a thriving democracy, with a huge, well-paid, well-fed executive, if an aam aadmi has to travel right up to the chief minister, it indicts the entire system for failure. It shows that every tier of executive—the babus, the bade babus and their officers—has become dysfunctional. Is that the case in Delhi? There may be merits in the argument that people face problems in getting their work done; they come across obstacles when they want to be heard. But to believe that the entire system has failed and everybody needs to shake emperor Kejriwal's bell of justice would be ridiculous.

Frankly, what is it that Kejriwal is trying to achieve except some publicity and TV time? It would be insane to believe that he would be able to solve every petitioner's problem just by personally hearing him. The sheer magnitude of complaints he is required to redress would make it impossible for Kejriwal to focus on even a small percentage of them. Soon the backlog would start mounting and people would start calling him inefficient and incompetent.

That Kejriwal's public hearings would not yield results isn't a personal opinion. It is supported by evidence from similar experiments by several other politicians and chief ministers.

Take, Rajasthan for example. Janata darbars were a salient feature of Ashok Gehlot's administrative style. Every day he used to meet hundreds of people who would queue up at his residence for a minute of the CM's time. In the end, all Gehlot could do was to accept their applications and pass it on to the babus who accompanied him. In short, a petitioner would travel all the way from his home, often in remote villages, only to find his problem being passed on to a clerk. Though Gehlot continued to hold his darbars—even Vasundhara Raje has retained the system—but it seldom helped in solving grievances. The same people would keep returning to the darbar complaining that nothing had happened in spite of the CM's personal interest in their problem.

Instead of forcing people to jostle with each other for a minute with him, Kejriwal should ideally work on strengthening the existing system. The focus should be on ensuring that problems are solved at the lowest level of the administrative hierarchy. Instead of making people come to his door, Kejriwal should create a system where the administration goes to the aam aadmi to solve his problem. Kejriwal needs to repair the existing pyramid, instead of turning it upside down.

Even if he is keen on interacting with his janata, Kejriwal should use technology—heard of emails, text messages, helplines?—instead of sticking to ideas that looked innovative 500 years ago.

Jahanpanah, are you listening?

Mr Kejriwal, stop the Darbar on Delhi streets, this isn’t Mughal era

Does Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal consider himself an avatar of Mughal emperor Jahangir? Though he doesn't reside in the Agra Fort or likes to be called Jahanpanah, his antic of holding a darbar- e-aam seems inspired by the Mughal Sultanate.

Jahangir, if you've read history or Amar Chitra Katha, was famous for his system of personal hearing and his 'golden chain of justice.' During his reign, anybody could stand outside his fort in Agra and request a personal audience with the emperor. For this, the supplicant had to just pull any of the 60 bells outside the castle.
Installing the bell of justice, or insaaf ka ghanta as it was called then, was among Jahangir's first orders after he ascended the throne in 1605. This was done to ensure if those engaged in the administration of justice failed in their duty, the aggrieved could draw the emperor's attention without fear.

Kejriwal's attempt to hold a darbar on the roads of Delhi could have easily passed off as a spectacle from the Mughal era except that the chaos, screaming, shouting and mismanagement would have made even Jahangir hang his head in shame.

But Kejriwal should stop the spectacle. This isn't medieval India. India is no longer run by Badshahs or Shenshahs. Atavistic ideas from history have no place in a modern democracy like ours.

Jahanpanah, are you listening? Naresh Sharma/ Firstpost

Why does a chief minister of a city-state like Delhi need to sit in the middle of the road to hear the public? Is the CM a lowly babu who has to deal with applications? Or does he consider himself the final court of appeal capable of dispensing justice at the pull of a bell? If the answer to any of these is yes, we need a re-poll in Delhi.

Jahangir's day and age were different. In a thriving democracy, with a huge, well-paid, well-fed executive, if an aam aadmi has to travel right up to the chief minister, it indicts the entire system for failure. It shows that every tier of executive—the babus, the bade babus and their officers—has become dysfunctional. Is that the case in Delhi? There may be merits in the argument that people face problems in getting their work done; they come across obstacles when they want to be heard. But to believe that the entire system has failed and everybody needs to shake emperor Kejriwal's bell of justice would be ridiculous.

Frankly, what is it that Kejriwal is trying to achieve except some publicity and TV time? It would be insane to believe that he would be able to solve every petitioner's problem just by personally hearing him. The sheer magnitude of complaints he is required to redress would make it impossible for Kejriwal to focus on even a small percentage of them. Soon the backlog would start mounting and people would start calling him inefficient and incompetent.

That Kejriwal's public hearings would not yield results isn't a personal opinion. It is supported by evidence from similar experiments by several other politicians and chief ministers.

Take, Rajasthan for example. Janata darbars were a salient feature of Ashok Gehlot's administrative style. Every day he used to meet hundreds of people who would queue up at his residence for a minute of the CM's time. In the end, all Gehlot could do was to accept their applications and pass it on to the babus who accompanied him. In short, a petitioner would travel all the way from his home, often in remote villages, only to find his problem being passed on to a clerk. Though Gehlot continued to hold his darbars—even Vasundhara Raje has retained the system—but it seldom helped in solving grievances. The same people would keep returning to the darbar complaining that nothing had happened in spite of the CM's personal interest in their problem.

Instead of forcing people to jostle with each other for a minute with him, Kejriwal should ideally work on strengthening the existing system. The focus should be on ensuring that problems are solved at the lowest level of the administrative hierarchy. Instead of making people come to his door, Kejriwal should create a system where the administration goes to the aam aadmi to solve his problem. Kejriwal needs to repair the existing pyramid, instead of turning it upside down.

Even if he is keen on interacting with his janata, Kejriwal should use technology—heard of emails, text messages, helplines?—instead of sticking to ideas that looked innovative 500 years ago.

Jahanpanah, are you listening?

Mr Kejriwal, stop holding Darbar on Delhi streets, this isn’t Mughal era

Does Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal consider himself an avatar of Mughal emperor Jahangir? Though he doesn't reside in the Agra Fort or likes to be called Jahanpanah, his antic of holding a darbar- e-aam seems inspired by the Mughal Sultanate.

Jahangir, if you've read history or Amar Chitra Katha, was famous for his system of personal hearing and his 'golden chain of justice.' During his reign, anybody could stand outside his fort in Agra and request a personal audience with the emperor. For this, the supplicant had to just pull any of the 60 bells outside the castle.
Installing the bell of justice, or insaaf ka ghanta as it was called then, was among Jahangir's first orders after he ascended the throne in 1605. This was done to ensure if those engaged in the administration of justice failed in their duty, the aggrieved could draw the emperor's attention without fear.

Kejriwal's attempt to hold a darbar on the roads of Delhi could have easily passed off as a spectacle from the Mughal era except that the chaos, screaming, shouting and mismanagement would have made even Jahangir hang his head in shame.

But Kejriwal should stop the spectacle. This isn't medieval India. India is no longer run by Badshahs or Shenshahs. Atavistic ideas from history have no place in a modern democracy like ours.

Jahanpanah, are you listening? Naresh Sharma/ Firstpost

Why does a chief minister of a city-state like Delhi need to sit in the middle of the road to hear the public? Is the CM a lowly babu who has to deal with applications? Or does he consider himself the final court of appeal capable of dispensing justice at the pull of a bell? If the answer to any of these is yes, we need a re-poll in Delhi.

Jahangir's day and age were different. In a thriving democracy, with a huge, well-paid, well-fed executive, if an aam aadmi has to travel right up to the chief minister, it indicts the entire system for failure. It shows that every tier of executive—the babus, the bade babus and their officers—has become dysfunctional. Is that the case in Delhi? There may be merits in the argument that people face problems in getting their work done; they come across obstacles when they want to be heard. But to believe that the entire system has failed and everybody needs to shake emperor Kejriwal's bell of justice would be ridiculous.

Frankly, what is it that Kejriwal is trying to achieve except some publicity and TV time? It would be insane to believe that he would be able to solve every petitioner's problem just by personally hearing him. The sheer magnitude of complaints he is required to redress would make it impossible for Kejriwal to focus on even a small percentage of them. Soon the backlog would start mounting and people would start calling him inefficient and incompetent.

That Kejriwal's public hearings would not yield results isn't a personal opinion. It is supported by evidence from similar experiments by several other politicians and chief ministers.

Take, Rajasthan for example. Janata darbars were a salient feature of Ashok Gehlot's administrative style. Every day he used to meet hundreds of people who would queue up at his residence for a minute of the CM's time. In the end, all Gehlot could do was to accept their applications and pass it on to the babus who accompanied him. In short, a petitioner would travel all the way from his home, often in remote villages, only to find his problem being passed on to a clerk. Though Gehlot continued to hold his darbars—even Vasundhara Raje has retained the system—but it seldom helped in solving grievances. The same people would keep returning to the darbar complaining that nothing had happened in spite of the CM's personal interest in their problem.

Instead of forcing people to jostle with each other for a minute with him, Kejriwal should ideally work on strengthening the existing system. The focus should be on ensuring that problems are solved at the lowest level of the administrative hierarchy. Instead of making people come to his door, Kejriwal should create a system where the administration goes to the aam aadmi to solve his problem. Kejriwal needs to repair the existing pyramid, instead of turning it upside down.

Even if he is keen on interacting with his janata, Kejriwal should use technology—heard of emails, text messages, helplines?—instead of sticking to ideas that looked innovative 500 years ago.

Jahanpanah, are you listening?