Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday invited his “guru” and social activist Anna Hazare to the Delhi Secretariat to “bless” his new office and motivate the staff with his words of wisdom.
The newly-elected CM also shared the stage with his mentor at the Parliament Street during a protest against the land Acquisition Ordinance. The duo came together after three years since their anti-graft movement in 2011.
Addressing the gathering here Kejriwal said, “If Anna comes to Delhi Secretariat, his mere presence will purify the place. I want him to come there and interact, at least for 10 minutes, with different members and officials of the Government. It will guide us all.”
The CM was initially standing among the crowd but joined Anna on the stage after requests from the crowd, drawing loud cheers from the crowd. The AAP leader sat right next to the 77-year-old Gandhian and was seen interacting with people on stage.
AAP’s Chandni Chowk MlA Alka lamba also joined (Anna’s) protest calling it a way to “connect bureaucracy with a veteran activist’s vision of India”. “We want him there, because his presence will connect bureaucrats, legislators and Ministers and other members and functionaries to the Gandhian’s thoughts, which so far has been missing,” she said. Sporting the AAP cap, lamba said, “We have invited Anna to the Assembly tomorrow. It is up to him to respond to it. But, his presence at the Secretariat will definitely benefit all.”
Senior AAP leader Yogendra Yadav also joined the Gandhian briefly on stage. Kejriwal and Hazare, the two most prominent faces of the lokpal movement had fallen apart after Kejriwal decided to launch a political party in October 2012.
On Monday, Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia met the activist at Maharashtra Sadan here and extended support to his agitation.