In introspection mode, Kejriwal exhorts partymen to stay loyal

In his maiden meeting with the newly elected Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Councillors, Delhi Chief Minister and party supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday urged them not to 'betray' the party. He administered a 'pledge of honesty' to the 48 AAP Councillors on the occasion and appealed them to work with full honesty.

Dubbing Delhi's three municipal corporations 'the most corrupt', Kejriwal also cautioned them not to let themselves be lured by or involved in corruption.

The BJP swept the civic elections held last Sunday, bagging 181 of the 270 wards of Delhi's three municipal corporations while the AAP won just 48 wards and the Congress 30.

Kejriwal claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would try its best to wean them away but they would have to remain united. "Always keep your recording devices (in mobile phones) on so that we can know if any such effort is made."

"This party has emerged from an anti-corruption movement; so, please work with full honesty," he urged his Councillors.

"Maintain honesty and have the courage to raise your voices against corruption in the MCDs. They (the BJP) might send you to jail or try to suppress your voice but do not fear," the Chief Minister said.

Kejriwal also told the newly elected councillors not to leave movement against corruption even if someone lured them to join other parties by offering huge sums of money. "It is a very pious movement. If you leave AAP, this movement, the people will then never be happy," Kejriwal said. He also advised them to listen to the party volunteers who had campaigned and sought votes for the AAP.

"Volunteers will come to you for getting work done in their areas. If you do not do their work, they won't be able show their face in areas where they had sought votes for you. So, please listen to them and get their work done," Kejriwal advised.

Stressing the importance of sanitation employees of the three municipal corporations, the Chief Minister advised the councillors to treat them like family.

"They are poor and harassed; so treat them like your family members. Have a good rapport with the sanitation employees," Kejriwal said.

In the wake of its humiliating defeat at the hands of the BJP in the MCD polls, AAP is likely to appoint Labour Minister Gopal Rai as the new convener of its Delhi unit.

The decision was taken at a meeting of Delhi AAP MLAs called by Kejriwal at his official residence to review the civic poll results.

However, the formal announcement will made after the meeting of the AAP Political Affairs Committee (PAC), the party's highest decision making body.

On Wednesday, AAP's Delhi convener Dilip Pandey had resigned, taking responsibility for the party's municipal poll drubbing.

"Labour Minister Gopal Rai has been appointed the new convener of the Delhi AAP. The formal decision will be announced after the PAC meeting," said an AAP functionary.