Anti-corruption activist Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday formally plunged into the political arena announcing launch of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

The AAP has a 23-member national executive that includes social scientist Yogendra Yadav, senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan, and activists Mayank Gandhi.

The Delhi elections next year will be No 1 priority, though eventually “we will try and field all 534 candidates in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections”, said Kejriwal at a press conference to announce the party’s launch.

“It was out of compulsion that we had to jump into politics. Our aim is to challenge the existing political system,” said Kejriwal, who parted ways from veteran social activist Anna Hazare with whom he launched an anti-graft movement. Hazare has set up a different team and recently opened an office in Delhi.

Kejriwal said his party will follow the principles of ‘Swaraj’ (self rule) and establish a ‘direct democracy’ after attaining ‘radical political decentralisation’.

The party has a 32-member National Council, which will add more representatives later, especially women, youth, and those belonging to backward classes and minorities, he said. The party will also have a ‘right to recall’ national and district executive members.

Yogendra Yadav said broadly 25 subjects had been identified such as agriculture, urbanisation and land. “Expert committees will be set up on these subjects, which will prepare reports that will be publicly debated.”

Playing down the AAP’s launch, Congress Minister Manish Tewari said there were 1,453 registered parties and one more would strengthen the democratic fabric.

>aditi.n@thehindu.co.in

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