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November 26, 2012

Aam Aadmi Party launched

New Delhi, November 26
The latest entrant on Indian political scene, Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was formally launched today in the presence of thousands of supporters amid voluntary donations and offers of premises for party offices by newly-inducted members.

Kejriwal was accorded traditional felicitations by supporters from across India, a siropa and kirpan from Punjab, a Jaapi (traditional Assamese headgear) and a folk dance from Karnataka at the first public rally at the Sansad Marg here.

The venue with an impressive turnout of people from all walks of life reverberated with slogans of “Bharat Mata ki Jai” and fluttering Tricolours. Kejriwal declared the party “result of struggle against corruption”. He administered four oaths to his supporters -- I will never give or take bribe; I will never sell my vote for a liquor bottle, money or saree; I will exercise my franchise in every election and I will not vote according to my caste or religion.

As speaker after speaker forwarded support to the newly found party, Kejriwal’s colleague Kumar Vishwas kept the rally alive with references to corporate connections and Swiss bank accounts of other parties vis-à-vis AAP’s dependence of public support. Allegations were also made by some AAP members of the government’s “gag orders” on media against the coverage of the rally.

Kejriwal, Pankaj Gupta and Krishna Kanth were appointed as the national convener, the national secretary and the national treasurer of the AAP, respectively. The constitution of the new party was released by former Law Minister Shanti Bhushan, while Manish Sisodia declared the name of the party and announced the names of the other 23 members of the national executive body, which includes Sisodia along with Prashant Bhushan, Dinesh Waghela, Sanjay Singh, Gopal Rai and Vishwas.

Kejriwal said he would tour the country for the next year to "expose" the Congress and the BJP while trying to convince people why they should support his outfit.