Kejriwal says his governance model is better than PM Modi's

delhi

Updated: Apr 10, 2015 10:37 IST

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday justified AAP's decision to expel dissident leaders Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav from top party posts, saying limits were "crossed" and "conspiracies" hatched.

Kejriwal also expressed regret for using abusive language that surfaced in audio sting in which he purportedly hurled expletives against rebel AAP leaders Ajit Jha and Anand Kumar. "I am a human being and I make mistakes. I was angry. The kind of language could have been avoided," he said in comments that came amid the turmoil in the Aam Aadmi Party(AAP).

The Delhi chief minister was speaking after launching a book titled "The Crown Prince, The Gladiator and the Hope" authored by AAP leader Ashutosh.

Bhushan and Yadav were first removed from the AAP's top decision-making body and then from its national executive for "anti-party" activities.

Asked whether he was a "ruthless" politician in the wake of allegations that dissent within the party had been crushed, Kejriwal dodged the question, saying, "People like me the way I am."

He also sought to dispel the notion that contrarian voices don't have a place in the party and said that there was respect for different view points in the party.

"The notion that there are no contrarian voices among us are wrong. It would be wrong to say Ashutosh, Manish Sisodia and Kumar Vishwas agree to everything. They have all left their careers, put everything at stake and joined us.

"But everything happens within decorum. There is a limit. Within the four walls, we argue and fight a lot, but outside we are a team. When limits are crossed, it is painful," Kejriwal said.

'My governance model better than Modi's'

The chief minister also claimed that his model of governance was better than the prime minister's model.

"I am above all these fights. I am concentrating on governance. I have not come here to fight," Kejriwal said.

"During the elections, people had two models of governance. One was the Kejriwal model of governance of 49 days and the other Modi model of governance of eight months. By giving us 67 seats (in Delhi assembly poll), people have proven that Kejriwal model of governance is better", he said.

"In our model a common man is at the centre whereas in his (Modi's) model, a handful of the country's rich people is at the centre."