Learning smart politics from an educated and successful politician

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The story of an educated and successful politician - Arvind Kejriwal

Arvind Kejriwal, a former bureaucrat, tax inspector and an anti-corruption crusader-turned politician is the man who has defeated BJP & Congress (two most influential political parties) in Delhi (India's capital). Kejriwal has been reelected chief minister (CM) for a 3rd straight term in Delhi. In 2020, his Aam Aadmi Party (Common Man's Party - AAP) got a landslide victory over the present government’s party BJP. In the past five years, he has implemented pro-poor policies, fixed government schools and given free healthcare & utilities services etc. He has been praised for putting education and development first. He and his party are not committed to any ideology (Right/Left) but to addressing problems.

Who is Arvind Kejriwal?  

Arvind Kejriwal, graduated from IIT Kharagpur (Mechanical engineering) joined the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) in 1995 after working in Tata Steel. In 2006, he resigned from the government job. But why is that?

In 1999, Kejriwal and others found a movement named Parivartan (change), a non- registered NGO, in Delhi to address people's grievances. Moreover, Manish Sisodia and Kejriwal launched Kabir, a registered NGO in 2005. Kejriwal helped launch the AAP in 2012 to rid the corruption and inefficiency from Indian political system and government. The AAP's symbol is a broom and the promise is to sweep the administration of graft.

Social activists like A. Kejriwal, Anna Hazare, Aruna Roy and Shekhar Singh were the important contributor to the campaign for Right to Information Act (2005). For his involvement with Parivartan, he was honoured with the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Emergent Leadership (2006). The award recognised Kejriwal’s for activating the Right to Information Act movement at the grassroots, and empowering poor people to fight corruption. With the prize money, he started the Public Cause Research Foundation to continue his work on RTI. When Kejriwal felt the Jan Lokpal Bill was not taken seriously, he joined with Anna Hazare in 2011. Hazare sat on a hunger strike and Kejriwal rallied the streets to seek an end to corruption. Kejriwal became a political celebrity after defeating (assembly election) three-term Delhi CM Sheila Dixit in 2013.