"Bharat Mata Ki Jai." That's the slogan with which Arvind Kejriwal started his third tenure as the chief minister of Delhi where the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) emerged victorious in the recently concluded assembly elections.
Speaking from the stage at the Ramlila Maidan, the venue for a grand oath-taking ceremony, Kejriwal said the people of Delhi, by voting for AAP, had changed Indian politics by giving precedence to "politics of work".
"It's the politics of 21st century," Kejriwal said, elaborating, "it's the politics of free electricity, education and healthcare."
"I forgive my opponents. I urge them to forget the politics of the past and work together," Kejriwal said, in an appeal to all the political parties.
"Elections are over, it doesn't matter who you voted for, now all Delhiites are my family. I will work for everyone, be it from any party, any religion, caste or strata of society," Kejriwal said.
Addressing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kejriwal said that he had invited the former to his oath ceremony, but "he couldn't come because he was busy."
"I want to work with the Central government... I seek PM Modi's blessings to take Delhi forward on the path of development," Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal also exhorted all the attendees to come to him in need. "No matter which party you belong to, I am everyone's chief minister," Kejriwal said to resounding applause.
Earlier, Kejriwal was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, days after their emphatic victory in the recently concluded elections in the national capital. Besides Kejriwal, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, Satyendra Jain, Gopal Rai, Kailash Gahlot, Imran Hussain, and Rajendra Patel took oath as ministers.
At 11:50 AM, Kejriwal arrived at the Ramlila Maidan, the place where, in 2011, alongside activist Anna Hazare, he had led the anti-corruption movement against the Congress-led UPA government. Moments before the oath ceremony, the national anthem was played and thousands of supporters joined and sang at the venue.
Kejriwal's AAP won 62 seats in the Delhi Assembly elections, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won eight seats. The Congress drew a blank in second successive elections.
