Is Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal aiming for giant leap to national stage?

NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal took a careful step beyond the boundaries of Delhi's politics on Wednesday, when he decided to be part of a non-BJP, non-Congress combine, even while he avoided attending their first meeting that took place at NCP chief Sharad Pawar's residence.

While he kept out of Wednesday's meeting because it was being held at the residence of Pawar who Kejriwal had opposed during his days of the Lokpal movement, the AAP leader is learnt to have promised to attend the next meeting of the new front that has emerged. The meeting is scheduled for September 22.

Interestingly, Kejriwal dropped by to meet West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday evening before the meeting at Pawar's house. The AAP chief, a comparatively new entrant into politics, made it clear to Banerjee, one of the leaders meeting at Pawar's house, that he was very much part of the new federal front.

In fact, it is Kejriwal who decided to host a seminar to discuss federal issues in Delhi on September 22, where non-BJP, non-Congress CMs are being invited. It is on Kejriwal's invitation that CMs and leaders of non-Congress and non-BJP parties will be in Delhi and will use the occasion to have their next meeting after Wednesday.

Kejriwal had been reaching out to Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar as well, for a while now, since he took over as Delhi CM.