Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday stoutly defended himself against the opposition's criticism of him travelling abroad in business class, saying that it was his dream for India that an 'aam aadmi' should also be able to travel the same way.
Speaking at a seminar organised by the Abu Dhabi Chapter of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, AAP national convener, Kejriwal, claimed that, "Our dream for India is that 'aam aadmi' should be able to travel business class."
Kejriwal had on Thursday flown business class to Dubai to attend a felicitation event, sparking strong reaction from the opposition which said his ‘real face’ had been ‘exposed’.
The AAP, however, sprang to Kejriwal's defence, asking whether it was a crime to travel business class, a facility it said was provided by the organisers. At the seminar, Kejriwal also spoke about India's changing political landscape and importance of economic development.
"Technology has played an important role in creating jobs in India in recent years and has also helped in deterring corruption," Kejriwal said.
Outlining the priorities of any government, he said that law and order, ensuring justice and improving and facilitating infrastructure development should be at the top of the list.
He said that if this is done with good intentions, then the benefits reach the common man otherwise wealth gets accumulated in the hands of a few. "There is urgent need to increase the number of courts to ensure speedy justice especially in cases related to women," he said adding that this can be done without much hassle.
"Some political leaders have had vested interest in not allowing judiciary to become efficient. This is because there have been cases against them and they didn't want to become victims of such a change," he said.
Kejriwal said he has plans to make Delhi a complete WiFi-city and make greater use of technology in surveillance and to maintain law and order. He said at least 20 new colleges are needed in Delhi to reduce pressure on existing ones and added that education up to 12th class should be free.
The AAP chief is on a five-day visit to Dubai and New York. In New York, he will deliver a lecture at the prestigious ColumbiaUniversity and dine with his party supporters.
Kejriwal, a former bureaucrat, is known for his simple lifestyle even when he became the Delhi chief minister.
He said that if governance improves in the country, then things will change drastically.
