Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Convenor has organised a live question and answer session with the masses on Sunday, July 17, on a host of topics. The questions caan be asked via phone, text messages or on social media platforms, like Facebook or Twitter, with the hashtag "#TalkToAK".
The Delhi government has, to this end, unveiled a website called Talk to AK, where people can not only submit questions but watch Kejriwal answering them from 11 a.m. on Sunday. The calls can be placed on 011-23392999, while the text messages can be sent to 0 81303 44141.
The website also has the option of users submitting questions, along with their details, like their name, mobile number and the city they hail from. The programme is expected to last three-four hours, depending on how many questions come in and how much time Kejriwal takes to answer them.
Watch the live stream of Kejriwal answering the questions here:
You can also follow Arvind Kejriwal on his official Twitter handle.
Ashutosh Sengar, the joint in-charge of the Maharashtra unit of the AAP, at the time of announcing this Delhi government initiative, had said this programme is not like Prime Minister Narenndr Modi's "Mann Ki Baat" periodical radio programme, in that it was an interactive programme and not a monologue or an effort "just preach about ones individual views."
Political observers are of the view that this programme is an exercise by Kejriwal and the AAP to reinvent their image and go back to the roots, where they were seen as common people chosen by their equally common peers. It was this image that had brought them to power in Delhi, with 67 of the 70 seats in the Assembly in their kitty.
Since then, Kejriwal himself has come to be labelled a Modi-antagoniser, taking on the prime minister and the Central government at the slightest indication of provocation. He may have had good reason to do so sometimes, but not so on several other occasions.
The AAP's image has also taken a hit, with criminal complaints surfacing against several of its MLAs, while some are accused of high-handedness. The party has also seen the exodus of several key members who were at odds with Kejriwal's style of functioning.
It now remains to be seen whether the "Talk to AK" exercise manages to change these perceptions.
