At the volunteer meet on Thursday. (Source: Express photo by Oinam Anand At the volunteer meet on Thursday. (Source: Express photo by Oinam Anand

Following the drubbing it received in the Lok Sabha polls, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday asked party volunteers to apologise to people resigning from the Delhi government and request them to grant the party a second chance. The party is also set to rebuild its organisation, Kejriwal said.

In his first address to volunteers after the general elections, Kejriwal said, “When you go to the people, I request you to not argue with them. Apologise for our mistakes and ask them for one more chance. Tell them that we will stay in the government for five years and won’t run away this time.”

In an attempt to boost volunteers’ morale, Kejriwal said, “We expect elections to take place in October. The Delhi Assembly will be dissolved soon. We all hope that the AAP comes to power with a majority this time.”

Acknowledging complaints from volunteers, Kejriwal said, “Many of you feel that no one listens to you. We apologise for this. I am told that you are not treated properly when you go to the party office. Now, the entire system in Delhi is going to be monitored by me. Another complaint is that some members of the PAC (Political Affairs Committee) decide matters behind closed doors.”

During the hour-long discussion, the topic of government formation was brought up. Kejriwal maintained that the party would not ally with the Congress again, and explained why the AAP could not form the government immediately.

“When I met the Lieutenant-Governor, I was informed about technical details which does not allow us to form the government again. That is what I told mediapersons after meeting the L-G,” he said.

Discussing Shazia Ilmi’s resignation over lack of inner-party democracy, he said, “When Shazia Ilmi left the party, I was in jail. From what I have heard, she has said it had become difficult to approach Arvind. This is completely wrong. I have been meeting people all the time,” he said.

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