Maintaining that there is a lot of difference between established political parties and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bhaskar Rao, former Additional Director General of Police (Railways), who recently joined AAP on Wednesday, claimed that while leaders in other parties have money power, those in AAP rely on morals and honest politics.
Speaking to reporters here on Wednesday, he said he had seen the working of all political parties from close quarters during his 32 years of service in various capacities. “Though Karnataka doesn’t lack in anything, there is a dearth of honest politics and quality administration. Citizens have to bribe officials to get any benefit due to them. The gap between the citizens and administration is widening, as the political parties don’t seem to be having any vision for development and good governance,” he said.
Alleging that kickbacks and bribes had become common, he cited the examples of IMA and Sri Guru Raghavendra Cooperative Bank case, where thousands of citizens were cheated of their hard-earned money. While FIRs have been filed, serious action is yet to be taken against the accused. The citizens who were cheated are getting a raw deal, he stated.
“It was all this that prompted me to retire when I still had three years of service left. People of Karnataka deserve good governance and AAP promises just that,” he said.
Dilip Pandey, who is AAP’s election in-charge in Karnataka, said that the victory in Punjab was being decoded as an acceptance of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s governance model. “All States are looking upon Delhi’s governance model and people want it replicated in their home States. AAP has already started to establish itself in Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka,” he said.
The party would contest elections at all levels, said Prithvi Reddy, State’s convenor for AAP. “The gate to a new political system in the State has been opened. Many more people are likely to follow Mr. Rao into AAP’s fold,” he added.
