In the Indian political diaspora, Arvind Kejriwal is well-known as a politician and a well-liked social crusader. He was born in a far-off Haryana hamlet. Being a gifted student since he was young, Arvind passed the exam on his first try and enrolled in the mechanical engineering program at IIT Kharagpur in West Bengal. He was hired by Tata Steels after receiving his degree, but he left the company soon after to prepare for the civil service exam and pursue his genuine passion. Additionally, he spent two months working with Mother Teresa at her Ashram in Kalighat. After passing the civil service test in 1993, he began working for the Indian Revenue Service. In 1995, he wed Sunita, his IRS classmate from 1993.
Arvind Kejriwal Personal Life
| Full Name | Arvind Kejriwal |
| Date of Birth | 16 Aug 1968 (Age 55) |
| Place of Birth | Siwani,Bhiwani District,Haryana,India |
| Party name | Aam Aadmi Party |
| Education | Graduate Professional |
| Profession | Activist,Politician |
| Father’s Name | Gobind Ram Kejriwal |
| Mother’s Name | Gita Devi |
| Spouse’s Name | Sunita Kejriwal |
| Spouse’s Profession | IRS officer |
| Children | 1 Son(s) 1 Daughter(s) |
| Religion | Hindu |
| Caste | Vaishya (Baniya) |
| Permanent address | 87 Block ,B.K.Dutt Colony New Delhi -110001 |
| Present address | Bunglow No. 6, Flag Staff Road, Civil Lines, Delhi. |
| Contact number | 9911576726 |
| Social Handles | facebook |
Arvind Kejriwal’s Journey So Far
- After a brief stint with Tata Steel, Arvind Kejriwal went on to clear the civil services examination (UPSC) in 1993 and joined the Indian Revenue Service. While at IRS, he rose to the rank of joint commissioner
- He later quit to become an activist, and won the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Emergent Leadership in 2006
- Kejriwal gained prominence across the country when he became a part of Anna Hazare’s campaign against corruption in 2011
- Soon after, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was formed. It contested the 2013 Delhi Assembly elections and emerged victorious
- Kejriwal took oath as the Chief Minister of Delhi on December 28, 2013. He succeeded Sheila Dikshit, who had been Delhi’s CM for three consecutive terms, and was also Delhi’s youngest CM at the time
- He, along with his cabinet, resigned after 49 days as they failed to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill
- In 2014, he took part in the general elections from the seat of Varanasi but lost the election to the BJP candidate from the constituency — Narendra Modi
- In a near sweep, AAP won the assembly elections in 2015, bagging 67 seats out of 70, and Kejriwal was re-elected the Chief Minister of Delhi for the second time on February 14, 2015
- As the Chief Minister of Delhi, Kejriwal has worked towards improving facilities for the public — such as water, electricity, eliminating Licence Raj, introducing facilities such as Mohalla Clinics, doorstep delivery of government services, installing CCTV cameras, improving security, and so on
- With a promise of free electricity and water, Kejriwal-led AAP stormed back to power in 2020, bagging 62 out of 70 seats in Delhi
Education Qualification of Arvind Kejriwal
Arvind Kejriwal pursued schooling at Campus School, Hisar, and Holy Child School, Sonipat.
Later, he took the IIT-JEE exam and scored an All India Rank of 563 in the year 1985. Kejriwal earned graduation degree in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.
Interesting Facts about Arvind Kejriwal
Arvind Kejriwal believes in simplicity and is a vegetarian by choice. Besides being studious, he is a fan of Bollywood actor Aamir Khan. He likes to watch comedy movies. He loves to do all his work. Even at his workplace, he refused to use the service of a peon and personally cleaned his desk. Kejriwal does not celebrate his or his children’s birthdays.
Political Timeline of Arvind Kejriwal
| 2015 | He led the AAP party to a glorious victory in the 2015 Delhi Assembly elections and took oath as Delhi’s chief minister on 14 February 2015. |
| 2014 | He contested in the 16th Lok Sabha Election from the Varanasi constituency against the BJP prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, and lost by a margin of around 370,000 votes. |
| 2013 | The Kejriwal-led AAP party made its electoral debut in the 2013 Delhi Legislative Assembly election, where it emerged as the second-largest party, winning 28 of the 70 seats. With no party obtaining an overall majority, the AAP formed a minority government with conditional support from the Indian National Congress. Arvind Kejriwal was sworn in as Chief Minister of Delhi on 28 Dec 2013. It had been in power for 49 days until Kejriwal resigned from the post in Feb 2014. |
| 2012 | Arvind Kejriwal launched Aam Aadmi Party. It is an Indian political party, formally launched on 26 November 2012, It came into existence following differences between the activists Arvind Kejriwal and Anna Hazare regarding whether or not to politicise the popular India Against Corruption movement that had been demanding a Jan Lokpal Bill since 2011. Hazare preferred that the movement should remain politically unaligned while Kejriwal felt the failure of the agitation route necessitated a direct political involvement. |
Arvind Kejriwal Early Life
| 2012 | He published a book called Swaraj which discusses his views on corruption and the state of Indian democracy. |
| 2006 | He resigned from his job as a Joint Commissioner in the Income Tax department, created a corpus fund with the award money, and founded the NGO ‘Public Cause Research Foundation. |
| 1999 | Kejriwal founded Parivartan, an NGO aiming to assist citizens in electricity, income tax, and food ration-related matters. |
| 1995 | He married Sunita, his 1993-batch IRS officer. |
| 1993 | He cleared the Civil Services examination and joined the Indian Revenue Service. |
| 1989 | Arvind Kejriwal graduated in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, in 1989. |
Arvind Kejriwal Achievements
- 2004: Ashoka Fellow, Civic Engagement
- 2005: Satyendra K. Dubey Memorial Award, IIT Kanpur, for his campaign for bringing transparency to Governance
- 2006: Ramon Magsaysay Award for Emergent Leadership[21]
- 2006: CNN-IBN Indian of the Year in Public Service
- 2009: Distinguished Alumnus Award, IIT Kharagpur for Eminent Leadership
- 2009: Awarded a grant and fellowship by the Association for India’s Development.
- 2010: Policy Change Agent of the Year, Economic Times
Arvind Kejriwal Net Worth
| Net Worth | ₹1.69 CRORE |
| ASSETS | ₹2.1 CRORE |
| Liabilities | ₹41 LAKHS |
Election Results of Arvind Kejriwal
| Year | Election | Type | Constituency | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Delhi Assembly election | MLA | New Delhi | WON |
| 2015 | Delhi Assembly election | MLA | New Delhi | WON |
| 2014 | Parliament election | MP | Varanasi | LOST |
| 2013 | Delhi Assembly election | MLA | New Delhi | WON |
Establishment of the Aam Aadmi Party
The fact that the Jan Lokpal activists lacked the power to force their will on elected officials was one of the key accusations made against them. In November 2012, they formally formed the Aam Aadmi Party, selecting Kejriwal to be its National Convener. In the party’s name, “common man” or “Aam Aadmi” is represented, representing the interests that Kejriwal aimed to further. Kejriwal and Hazare’s separation resulted from the AAP’s formation.
The AAP chose to field candidates for the Delhi Legislative Assembly in 2013, with Kejriwal facing off against the current Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit. Kejriwal became the fifth-most talked-about political figure in India on social media as the elections approached.
Chief Minister of Delhi (First Term)
The Bharatiya Janata Party secured 31 seats in the 70-seat Delhi Legislative Assembly election of 2013, trailed by the Aam Aadmi Party with 28 seats. In New Delhi, Kejriwal defeated Indian National Congress (INC) candidate Sheila Dikshit by a margin of 25,864 votes.
Eight INC MLAs, one Janata Dal MLA, and one individual MLA assisted the AAP in forming a minority government in the hung assembly. Only Chaudhary Brahm Prakash, who assumed office at the age of 34, is younger than Delhi’s chief minister, Kejriwal, who entered office on December 28, 2013. He was in charge of the ministries of housing, power, planning, finances, services, and security in Delhi.
He resigned as chief minister on February 14, 2014, citing his failure to bring the Jan Lokpal Bill before the Delhi Legislature and advocating for the dissolution of the assembly. Kejriwal attributed the delay in enacting anti-corruption legislation to the Congress and the BJP, citing the government’s filing of a First Information Report (FIR) against Reliance Industries chairman and CEO Mukesh Ambani as the reason. He further claimed that it was an error for him to step down from his position without giving public notice of his resignation in April 2014.
Chief Minister of Delhi (Second Term)
The BJP secured three seats and the INC received none out of the 70 seats that the Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party contested in the 2015 Delhi Assembly elections. In those elections, he garnered 31,583 votes, enough to defeat Nupur Sharma in the New Delhi seat. He assumed his second term as chief minister of Delhi at Ramlila Maidan on February 14, 2015. Since then, his party has approved the Jan Lokpal Bill with notable changes.
Kejriwal’s administration and the Lieutenant-Governor of Delhi have been at odds for a long time during his second term as chief minister. There has been conflict over who eventually has the last say over a number of significant government appointments. Manish Sisodia referred to the judicial defeat as “a war between the picked and the elected” after it occurred.
Chief Minister of Delhi (Third Term)
The AAP won 62 of the 70 seats up for grabs in the 2020 Delhi Legislative Assembly election. On February 16, 2020, he took his third oath of office as chief minister of Delhi at Ramlila Maidan. In May 2021, Kejriwal asked that the Indian federal government immediately suspend airplane travel between India and Singapore and give “vaccine alternatives for children” because to “a new type of coronavirus identified in Singapore” that “is being claimed to be particularly deadly for children.” Nevertheless, no documented COVID-19 variant with Singaporean origins exists. The B.1.617 type of the virus, which was first identified in India, was mentioned in a recent piece regarding the threat it poses to youngsters in Singapore.
In Singapore, B.1.617 was a common COVID-19 subtype. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the foreign minister of India, and Vivian Balakrishnan, the foreign minister of Singapore, denounced Kejriwal’s statement as “irresponsible” and “counter-factual,” respectively.
Attack by BJP Members
Thugs from the BJP attacked Chief Minister Kejariwal’s official residence in March 2022. The deputy chief minister, Shishodia, called the incident a “plot to kill” Kejriwal.
AAP legislator Saurabh Bhardwaj filed a request for the formation of a Special Team of Investigators (SIT) to look into the incident in the Delhi High Court (HC). He claimed in his appeal that there seems to have been “tacit involvement” by Delhi police in the attack and vandalism. Since the street next to the Delhi CM’s house is a residential neighbourhood, the Delhi High Court ordered the Delhi Police to make sure that there are no unnecessary protests there on August 22, 2017. The appeal claimed that the Delhi Police’s inaction in this matter violated the 2017 order.
The petition asked the court to order the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the Police Authorities to protect the Chief Minister and his residence.
On March 31, 2022, eight participants in the event were taken into custody. A police complaint for obstructing a public official was filed in accordance with the Prohibition of Damage to Public Properties Act, which is part of the Indian Penal Code. The Delhi High Court noted that there wasn’t enough security to control the crowd and asked for a report on the police investigation into the event.
Laws
Arvind Kejriwal’s political opponents filed a number of slander lawsuits. Kejriwal released a list of the most dishonest politicians in January 2014, which included a number of well-known individuals from different political parties. As one of the people on the list, Nitin Gadkari filed a defamation action against Kejriwal right away. Following that, Kejriwal expressed regret for his baseless statements to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. He also demanded an apology from former minister Kapil Sibal.
of 2016, after Kejriwal accused Bikram Majithia, the then-minister of revenue of Punjab, of being involved in the drug trade, Majithia filed a defamation lawsuit against Kejriwal and two other Aam Aadmi party members. March 2018, a few years later, Kejriwal apologized to Majithia.
Kejriwal accused Finance Minister Arun Jaitley of having anomalies in the DDCA. Arun Jaitley filed a ten crore lawsuit against Kejriwal for defamation. The Delhi High Court has barred BJP MP Kirti Azad from responding in writing to the Delhi & District Cricket Association’s (DDCA) civil defamation case due to remarks she is accused of making against the cricket organization’s finances and operations. Subsequently, in April 2018, Arvind Kejriwal and three other party members—Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chaddha, and Ashutosh—sent Arun Jaitley a joint letter of apology.
In his petition to the Election Directorate prior to the second phase of the 2015 elections, Kejriwal said he was subject to 47 orders and 10 criminal accusations. In 2021, a Delhi court dismissed an assault charge made by a Delhi official against Kejriwal and ten AAP MLAs, clearing them of all costs. There was no “prima facie case” made against them, the court declared.
Political Views
Kejriwal expressed his thoughts on unethical behavior and the state of Indian democracy in his book Swaraj. He is in favor of decentralization of authority and local control over finances and choices. He claims that after elections, central governments are not held accountable for their deeds or inactivity, and that foreign multinational corporations have an excessive influence on central government decision-making.
Personal Life
In 1995, Arvind married Sunita, a 1993-class IRS agent. She retired voluntarily from her position as Commissioner of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal in 2016. They are parents to a daughter and a son. In 2016, Kejriwal underwent surgery to address his persistent cough problem. Kejriwal himself as an Ambedkarite and calls himself a “devotee” of B. R. Ambedkar.
Awards and Achievements
He received the SKD Memorial Award from IIT Kanpur in 2005 in recognition of his work to increase government openness. His services to the Parivartan movement earned him the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Innovative Leadership in 2006. He established the nonprofit Public Cause Research Association using the proceeds from his prize as a corpus fund.
Latest News
The Kejriwal government accuses health officials of misconduct in a lab test
Senior Health Department personnel were recruited by the center, according to the Arvind Kejriwal government in New Delhi, and they were in charge of keeping an eye on diagnostic labs. The claim made by the Delhi government comes after reports surfaced about a purported scam involving radiology and pathology tests performed at the Aam Aadmi Mohalla Clinic (AAMC) in Delhi.
“Some doctors had recorded their video and given it to the employees; through that they used to mark their attendance in the app every day,” Delhi Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj stated at a press briefing. In this instance, 26 employees—seven physicians and staff—were let go.”
He continued by saying that when someone provides the incorrect phone number, it is the responsibility of the officials to verify, regardless of whether it is at a Mohalla clinic or a pharmacy.
“The Health Secretary and the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) are there. These are not the DGHS and Health Secretary that we appointed. The investigation is being carried out by LG. We have provided written consent for their removal. This is even what the Supreme Court has said. Officers are fired right away in minor incidents. However, these officers are staying on,” he continued.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi has criticized the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for allegedly obtaining and supplying fake and unconventional medications for use in government hospitals and mohalla clinics. The party claims that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is the driving force behind this purported scam.
On Thursday, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva took aim at the city’s chief minister, asserting that both the current Saurabh Bharadwaj and the former Manish Sisodia were aware of the purported pathology fraud.
In the past, Delhi LG VK Saxena suggested that the CBI look into the claims of “Fake lab tests” at the clinics in Aam Aadmi Mohalla. Phony or non-existent cellphone numbers were utilized to identify patients upon arrival.
According to the lab enquiry file, since February 2023, lab tests have been ordered and completed in the aforementioned 7 AAMCs, and MOICS attendance has been verified via pre-recorded films.
“Mobile number 9999999999 has been entered 3092 times for various patients in One Lab data between July and September of 2023. According to the lab acquisition report, “Mobile numbers 9810467129 and 9855544543 have been entered 185 and 165 times, respectively, for various patients between July and September 2023. This needs to be clarified from Concerned MOICS.”
Likewise, in an other lab data set, the mobile number ‘0’ was entered 11657 times, and blank was entered 8199 times for various patients between July and September of 2023. This information also has to be clarified by the relevant MOICS, it continued.
The Directorate of Family Welfare reported in a letter that following the examination of lab tests conducted in the Aam Aadmi Mohalla clinics, “Recently it has come to the notice of the Department of Health & Family Welfare that some Doctors/Staff of AAMC posted in Shahdara, North-East & South-West District resorted to unethical practice to mark their attendance fraudulently on 3 tablet module by pre- recorded video, thereby violating the MoU & TOR regarding patient services.”
The letter further said that the patients were consulted and medicines were disbursed to them in the absence of the Doctor by the empanelled staff of AAMCs who were not competent and not authorized to do so thereby endangering the lives of he patient.
“All of these staff have violated professional ethics and morality. Also, they were incurring great losses to the Government exchequer without performing any duties and cheating in the performance of their duties,” it said.
Action was taken against these staffs and they were de-empanelled.
“A Show Cause Notice was also issued to the concerned SPO (State Programme Officer) and CDMO (Chief District Medical Officer) in charge of that also department recommended to lodge FIR against these doctors. Details of the case and action taken against these Doctors and staff is placed from C/1 to C/25,” the letter further said.
The letter further said that it was imperative that a review of Lab Diagnostics services done by these defaulting AAMC Doctors should be done on priority.
“Also you are hereby directed to review the available data of these AAMCs in particular and all AAMCS in general regarding data of Lab Diagnostics/Tests being done in AAMCs,” it added.
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