The Aam Aadmi Party’s success in the Delhi Assembly elections got a special mention at the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas on Wednesday when one of Britain’s youngest peers, Lord Karan Bilimoria, lauded the party’s achievement during a session attended by four Cabinet ministers of the UPA-II. Praising the Indian democracy, Bilimoria said, “This is a place where anyone can start from nothing and within a year come to power.” The session, called India’s Soft Power, was chaired by External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and attended by Bilimoria, Law Minister Kapil Sibal, Minister of Culture Chandresh Kumari Katoch and Tourism Minister K Chiranjeevi. Asked if AAP was emerging as an alternative to the mainstream political parties like the BJP and Congress, Bilimoria told The Indian Express, “AAP is not a protest party anymore. Everyone in Britain is saying fantastic things about the new party. Nobody can predict what will happen during the general elections in the next few months.” Sibal, meanwhile, tried to highlight the government’s tough stand on corruption, saying there have been instances when “ministers were asked to resign merely on allegations of corruption”. He also said the Finance Ministry had been asked for extra funds so the number of judges could be increased. Defending his government on the issue of corruption, Sibal said that “not all ministers and all bureaucrats are corrupt”. “We got the Lokpal Bill and there are six important anti-corruption legislations to be passed in the Parliament. We have been honest in dealing with the issue,” he said.
