Kin follow in minister's humble footsteps

NEW DELHI: Delhi’s new chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, took his wife and children along in the crowded Metro to the swearing-in at Ramlila Maidan. His parents, however, reached the venue by car. It was a proud moment for Kejriwal’s entire family and their relatives, including his brother and sister, who came from other states. His daughter Harshita , a class XII student, who had been caught up in exams and tests all through her father’s campaign and election, said, “This is just the beginning and he has a long way to go. Of course, everyone is extremely proud of him” .

Manish Sisodia’s wife, Seema, and their 12-year-old son, Mir, accompanied him to Ramlila Maidan. “We had a small puja before starting. It was a historic moment for us and I am confident that he (Kejriwal ) will fulfill his responsibilities ,” said Seema.

As Kejriwal’s cabinet colleague Satyendra Kumar Jain took the oath, his daughter, Soumya, cheered from the crowd along with her mother and younger sister. “I’m so proud of my father and watching him there on the stage was totally outstanding,” said the 21-year-old student of architecture . The Jain family walked to the venue from Barakhamba Road station. “My teachers are also proud as he’s an architect. My friends show a lot of respect for AAP leaders ,” she added.

Across the crowd from the Jains sat Mamta Soni with her two children. Her attempts to capture her husband Girish Soni’s picture with her mobile phone went in vain. “The feeling of seeing him as an MLA is yet to sink in. We were pretty far from the stage and couldn’t see him. He didn’t know where we were sitting and spoke to us only in the evening,” said Mamta.

Somnath Bharti, whose wife was seated in the enclosure with Arvind Kejriwal’s parents, said, “I have two children but since the younger one is only six months old he wasn’t there. I came in the Metro and my wife came with friends and neighbours” .

The family of cabinet minister Saurabh Bhardwaj also came by the Metro. “My father listened to Kejriwal’s speech from outside as he could not manage to get past the crowd. He was not well,” said Aditi Bhardwaj, Saurabh’s younger sister. Rakhi Birla’s brother, Vikram Bidhlan, described the moment when his sister took oath as “exciting” .