In his first remarks on Aam Aadmi Party’s stunning debut in Delhi polls, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday said the people’s verdict needed to be respected and it was too early to judge whether the fledgling party’s experiments would be successful.
Dr. Singh, whose government has been facing attack on the issue of corruption, admitted that it was an issue and the AAP had been able to “make success out of their concerns of eradication of corruption”.
“People of India have reposed confidence in the AAP party in Delhi. I think we must respect the democratic process,” he said while responding to a question on AAP’s electoral success in the national capital.
“Only time will tell whether this experiment is capable of dealing with the challenges that our economy and polity faces. It is too early, less than a week. They must be given time and chance to justify themselves,” he said.
Dr. Singh said dealing with corruption was not an easy task and various political parties will have to work together to fight it.
On the issue of price rise, he conceded that it could have been a factor in Congress’ defeat in the Assembly polls.
“Price rise was a factor in people turning against Congress in the recent assembly polls. I have tried to explain why price rise took place for reasons beyond our control,” Dr. Singh said.
He said he had tried to serve the country with utmost commitment and dedication and had not used his office to reward any of his friends or relatives.
IANS adds:
Who cares who becomes PM: Kejriwal Political parties need to address issues concerning ordinary people instead of constantly debating about the next Prime Minister, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday.
“How does it matter who becomes the Prime Minister?” the AAP leader told the media.
Mr. Kejriwal’s comments came shortly after Dr. Singh declared he won’t seek a third term and that Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi was a fit candidate for the country’s top job.
“The government has increased the price of (cooking gas) cylinder by Rs. 220. How will the poor survive?
“They (political parties) do not address these issues but spend the entire day talking about who will be the Prime Minister of the country.”
