He calls himself a "political revolutionary" now, but Arvind Kejriwal says that he had never imagined that he would one day plunge into politics, form a party and contest elections.
"I had never imagined that I would get into politics," said the Aam Aadmi Party leader and Delhi chief minister.
When he sat on an unprecedented dharna on the streets of Delhi in January, demanding action against some policemen, Kejriwal had described himself as an "anarchist".
Today he explains that remark by arguing that corrupt political and corporate leaders, some bureaucrats and some in the media were living happily while the common man was unhappy.
"When we spoke about changing the system, it results in anarchy for these people. For them, yes, I am an anarchist," he told PTI editors.
What would he say to those who call him a dictator?
"Do you think people like (AAP leaders) Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav can work with a dictator? So many people have come to us. Will they work with a dictator,” Kejriwal asked.
The leadership of AAP has been "inclusive", claimed the Delhi CM, adding, "If we were dictators, even four people would not have stood by us.”
Asked if he had ever imagined that he would enjoy such a dream run in politics, Kejriwal said he had hoped that his party would perform well in the elections, but he never imagined that he would become the chief minister.
Responding to a question on whether he now nurtured the ambition of becoming the prime minister, he replied in the negative, emphasising that the AAP was fighting for the cause of a corruption-free India.
"We have not come here to do politics of power,” he said.
But could he one day end up becoming the prime minister?
"You can make any prediction. Who knows," replied the CM.
Kejriwal is not yet sure whether he will contest the Lok Sabha elections.
"If the need arises, I would contest, but my first commitment is to Delhi," he said.
The AAP will identify Lok Sabha constituencies from where corrupt candidates from other parties are likely to contest and put up a fight against them, he said.
"We are not saying our party will form the government at the Centre, but the more number of our people are elected to Parliament, more this will be difficult for corrupt people," he said.
Refusing to comment on the frontrunners for the PM’s post -- Bharatiya Janata Party’s Narendra Modi or Congress' Rahul Gandhi -- Kejriwal said, "All that I can say is both of them are part of the same political establishment. And I do not think you have any hope from the two."
Kejriwal was clear that the AAP would not tie up with any political party or be part of "power politics" in the event of a hung verdict in the Lok Sabha polls.
"We will live, fight and die; you will see", he said.
He does not mind being called a ‘chief minister in hurry’.
"I think one should be in hurry. Time is less and life is short. There are only 24 hours in a day," he said.
Asked how his life has changed after being catapulted to power, Kejriwal said the first casualty had been his family life.
The Saturday movie with the family is a thing of the past and his mother and wife can no longer go out and chat with neighbours.
"The day we can implement good policies, I will seek political sanyas (retirement). When the country changes for the better, the AAP will vanish," he said.
When it was pointed out that such a change could take hundreds of years, Kejriwal disagreed.
"You will see the light on the horizon," he said.
Photograph Courtesy: https://www.facebook.com/AamAadmiParty/
