Arvind Kejriwal is a prominent Indian politician and former civil servant. Currently, Kejriwal is serving as the 7th Chief Minister of Delhi since 2015. Also, the chairman of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), AAP Kejriwal won the maximum number of seats in the Delhi Assembly elections of 2015. Let’s dig ourselves into some interesting facts about Arvind Kejriwal’s life, career and controversies.
Biography/ Wiki
Arvind Kejriwal was born on 16 August 1968 (55 years old) in Siwani, Bhiwani district, Haryana, India. Kejriwal came into limelight in 2011 when he, along with Anna Hazare, organized the India Against Corruption (IAC) movement at Ramlila Maidan, Delhi to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill. Due to the failure of the IAC Movement, along with his colleagues from the IAC, Arvind entered politics and laid the foundation of the Aam Aadmi Party in November 2012. Arvind Kejriwal rose to prominence in the 2013 Delhi Assembly Elections when he defeated Sheila Dikshit from the New Delhi constituency with a huge margin of 25,864 votes, and on 28 December 2013, he became the Chief Minister of Delhi. However, he resigned after 49 days on 14 February 2014, because according to him he was not given any support from other political parties to pass the proposed anti-corruption bill. In 2015 again, Arvind started his second term as the Chief Minister of Delhi.
Family
Arvind Kejriwal is the eldest son of Gobind Ram Kejriwal, an electrical engineer, and Geeta Devi. Kejriwal belongs to a Hindu Vaishya (Baniya) family.
Arvind Kejriwal with his parents
Arvind has a younger brother, Manoj who works as a Software Engineer at IBM, Pune and a younger sister, Ranjana, works as a doctor at Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), Haridwar. In 1995, Arvind Kejriwal married Sunita Kejriwal and the couple had a son, Pulkit and a daughter Harshita.
Arvind Kejriwal in his childhood
Arvind Kejriwal with his parents, wife and children
Career
Arvind completed his schooling from Campus School, Hisar, Haryana and Christian Missionary Holy Anak School, Sonipat, Haryana. After completing his schooling, he enrolled at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, West Bengal and graduated as a Mechanical Engineer. Arvind started working at TATA Steel Company after graduating from IIT Kharagpur. Kejriwal started preparing for Civil Services, cleared the exam in one attempt and became an IRS officer. When he was an IRS officer, Kejriwal refused to take peons and cleaned his own desk. He has a habit of checking every file of the document, every line of the document, marking the main line with a marker and making sure everything is correct. His friends say that he cross-checked the Jan Lokpal Bill about 100 times.
In 2006, Arvind Kejriwal resigned from the revenue service and devoted his time fully to social service. While serving in social services, in 2011, Arvind Kejriwal joined Anna Hazare, a social activist who organized the India Against Corruption (IAC) movement at Ramlila Maidan, Delhi to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill, which failed due to the political tactics of Congress, BJP, and other political parties.
Arvind Kejriwal with Anna Hazare
Arvind was a key member of the team that drafted the Jan Lokpal Bill. After the movement, Kejriwal and many other members of the IAC team decided to form a political party to fight corruption in India, although Anna Hazare, Kiran Bedi, and many other members of the IAC team opposed his decision to enter politics. In 2012, Arvind Kejriwal laid the foundation of the Aam Aadmi Party and contested the 2013 Delhi Assembly Elections where he defeated Sheila Dikshit from the New Delhi constituency by a maximum of around 25,000 votes and, subsequently, began his term as the Chief Minister of Delhi on 28 December 2013.
Aam Aadmi Party logo
After his landslide victory in the Delhi Assembly Elections, Arvind announced on 25 March 2014 to contest the Lok Sabha elections against Narendra Modi from the Varanasi constituency but lost by a huge margin of nearly 3,70,000 votes. But even after his defeat, Kejriwal did not stop and contested the Delhi Assembly Elections again, and on 14 February 2015, he became the Chief Minister of Delhi for the second time with a huge majority of 67 out of 70 seats. He took oath as the Chief Minister of Delhi for the third time at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi.
Arvind Kejriwal was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Delhi for the third time at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi
On 12 September 2021, he was re-elected as the national organizer of the Aam Aadmi Party for the third time.
Controversy
- Kejriwal, despite having an impeccable political career, was charged with 4 charges relating to intentionally causing injury to prevent a public servant from performing his duties (IPC Section-332) and 5 charges relating to disobeying a duly promulgated order by a public servant (IPC Section-188). ). In addition, he was charged with 4 charges related to preventing a public servant from carrying out public functions (IPC Section-186), 4 charges related to assault or criminal violence to prevent a public servant from carrying out his duties (IPC Section-353). ) and 4 charges related to Acts committed by several people in furtherance of a common intention (IPC Section-34).
- Arvind Kejriwal’s name also came into focus for other cases. He has 4 charges related to defamation (IPC Section-499), 4 charges related to the punishment of defamation (IPC Section-500), 4 charges related to the punishment of rioting (IPC Section-147) and 4 charges related to each member who violates the assembly law is guilty of offenses committed in the prosecution of ordinary objects (IPC Section-149). In addition, he was also admitted in 3 charges related to rioting, armed with a deadly weapon (IPC Section-148), 2 charges related to assaulting or obstructing a public servant when suppressing a riot, etc. (IPC Section-152) and 2 charges related to being aware join or continue an assembly of five or more people after being ordered to disperse (IPC Section-151).
- In addition, Arvind was convicted in 3 cases, 1 of which was a charge related to deliberately giving provocation with the intention to cause a riot-if a riot is committed-if not (IPC Section-153). The second charge relates to joining or continuing an unlawful assembly, knowing that it has been ordered to disperse (IPC Section-145) and the third charge relates to wrongful restraint (IPC Section-341).
- On 13 August 2018, Kejriwal, Sisodia among 15 others were named as accused in the Delhi Chief Secretary ‘assault’ case.
- On March 31, 2023, he was fined Rs 25,000 by the Gujarat High Court for asking for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s degree details.
- He was questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for almost nine hours in the liquor policy case on 16 April 2023. After being questioned, while talking to reporters, Mr. Kejriwal said,
CBI asked me 56 questions. Everything is fake. The case is false. I’m sure they have nothing on us, not a single piece of evidence.”
C Arvind, secretary to Mr Sisodia at the time, told the CBI during the investigation that Manish Sisodia submitted the draft liquor policy in March 2021 at Mr Kejriwal’s house. The Delhi government cleared the excise policy after Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal ordered an inquiry. According to reports, the release came after it had been delayed twice, and the CBI is investigating why.
- In June 2023, the Union Home Ministry ordered an investigation by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) into expenditure related to the renovation of the Chief Minister’s official residence. This decision was taken after a letter was received from the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Vinai Kumar Saxena, raising concerns about significant irregularities in the project. According to the letter, the initial estimate of the reconstruction cost was between Rs. 15-20 crore, but it has increased to Rs. 53 crores.
Awards & Recognition
- In 2004, Arvind was awarded the Ashok Fellow, Civic Engagement.
- In 2005, he was awarded the Satyendra K Dubey Memorial Award, IIT Kanpur.
- In 2006, Arvind Kejriwal was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for playing a very useful role in enacting the RTI Act.
Arvind Kejriwal holds the Ramon Magsaysay Award
- In the same year, 2006, he got the CNN-IBN Indian Of The Year award.
- In 2009, he was awarded with the Distinguished Alumnus Award, IIT Kharagpur for Outstanding Leadership and a fellowship and grant by the Society for the Development of India.
- In 2010, Kejriwal received the Policy Change Agent of the Year, Economic Times Award along with Aruna Roy.
- In 2011, he was awarded the NDTV Indian of the Year along with Anna Hazare.
- In 2013, he was awarded the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2013- Politics.
- In 2013 itself again, he was placed among the Top 100 Global Thinkers in the November Issue of Foreign Policy magazine.
- In 2014, he was also featured in Time magazine’s Top 100 list of the most influential people in the world.
- In 2016, Kejriwal was ranked 42nd in Fortune business magazine’s list of 50 great world leaders.
- A documentary ‘An Insignificant Man’ was released in 2017 which highlighted his political career from the beginning.
Favourite
- Arvind Kejriwal’s favorite cuisine is Chinese cuisine and when it comes to street food and sweet dishes, he loves Golgappe and Jalebi respectively. His favorite food shop is ‘Taste of Chine’ in Connaught Place, Delhi.
- Aamir Khan is her favorite actor.
- In his spare time, he likes to watch comedian Kapil Sharma.
- Kejriwal admires social activist Anna Hazare.
Net Worth & Salary
As the Chief Minister of Delhi, he receives a monthly salary of Rs 1.7 lakh + other allowances (till 2023). Kejriwal’s net worth is close to Rs 7 crore (as of 2018).
Facts
- He does not smoke or drink alcohol.
- Arvind has black eyes and black hair.
- Kejriwal’s hobbies include reading, doing yoga, vipassana, watching movies and listening to music.
Arvind Kejriwal does yoga
- A Blue WagonR, which has become an iconic association with Kejriwal during his campaign in the 2015 Delhi Assembly Elections, was, in fact, gifted to him by Software Engineer, Kundan Sharma. The car was reportedly stolen from outside the Delhi Secretariat in October 2017.
Arvind Kejriwal in his blue WagonR
- Classmate Arvind Kejriwal said in an interview that during his college days in Kharagpur, Arvind used to go to the slums to teach children who could not afford education.
- He donated his Magsaysay award money to an NGO.
- Moreover, he is the one who started Delhi’s RTI (Right to Information) in 2005.
- He also does not celebrate his birthday nor his children, the real reason is unknown.
- He has also worked with social activist Mother Teresa.
- He had to postpone the day to file his nomination in the Delhi Assembly Elections twice; the first time during the Delhi Assembly Elections 2015, and the second time during the Delhi Assembly Elections 2020. Both times, the reason was the same; A large group of his supporters created a traffic jam like situation.
Arvind Kejriwal Will File His Nomination During Delhi Assembly Elections 2020
Signature of Arvind Kejriwal
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
