New Delhi: AAP government's much-talked- about first 'janta darbar' outside the Delhi Secretariat here on Saturday witnessed chaos and mismanagement, forcing Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to leave the venue midway as hundreds jostled with each other to register their grievances.
Kejriwal promised better arrangements next time and said people's grievances will be addressed effectively.
"Go back home now. Give us some time to streamline the system. We will address all your grievances. We will make better arrangements next time," Kejriwal, who stood on the boundary wall of the Secretariat, told the crowd after making a second entry into the venue.
A senior minister said the session was not suspended due to chaos as the timing scheduled for it was between 9 AM to 11:30 AM.
Meanwhile, Anna Hazare's aide and activist Kiran Bedi took a jibe at Kejriwal over lack of 'mature' governance and said such meetings do not happen on the streets or the rooftops.
"All good governance organises public hearing. Many senior police officers and bureaucrats have public hearings. There is a schedule and method and certainly openness about it. It is not on the streets or on the rooftops.
"It is organised in their offices. So, public hearings are part of good governance but there is a method to it, there is a purpose and there is a place for it. Therefore, I think that is all about mature governance, it is also about experienced governance, that is what I think is lacking," she said.
A former police officer, Bedi had worked with Kejriwal and was part of Team Anna during the Janlokpal movement in 2011 but the two later drifted apart.
Bedi also took to micro-blogging site Twitter as soon of the news about chaos at the janta darbar broke and said "For God's sake, Arvind and Team, Secretariats are not run from rooftops! Please take time to listen/absorb! And then take considered decisions!"
Earlier in the day, Kejriwal was whisked away by police personnel due to security reasons as the surging crowd broke barricades.
"We will have to improve the arrangements.If I had not left the place then there was a possibility of a stampede. Everybody wanted to meet me. We will streamline the system so that similar situation does not recur," Kejriwal said.
"We had not even imagined that so many people will turn out today. It was becoming difficult to manage them...If I had not left the venue, there was a possibility of a stampede," Kejriwal told reporters.
Delhi CM also said, "We are in a hurry to save the nation."
The Chief Minister was taken to his office by police personnel after the crowd at the public meet outside Delhi Secretariat went out of control. The entire Delhi Cabinet was present at the public hearing outside the Delhi Secretariat in Indraprastha Extension to attend grievances of the citizens.
Kejriwal convened the Janta Darbar as part of his policy to directly interact with the common people and resolve their problems.
Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti, who was seen collecting written complaints from people, said it was a good experiment and such exercises must continue.
"I am not harassed. It is a good experiment and I believe that such experiments must continue," Bharti said, adding they were categorising the various complaints received. A number of people who came to the Janta Darbar said they were 'dejected' but have not lost hope. "I came here to apprise the CM about the huge water bills. But I could not present my case.Definitely I am disappointed," said Ramesh Garg, a resident of Laxmi Nagar.
Sunita Kapoor from Mandawali in east Delhi reached the secretariat at 6 AM for the meeting that was to start at 9:30 AM. She met Kejriwal and complained about unauthorised occupation of her flat.
"I have been assured by the Chief Minister that I will be helped in the matter," she said.
Hundreds of people including contractual workers from various government departments like DTC, power company BSES, different government hospitals, municipal corporations, had gathered at the venue. Police estimated that 50,000 people had gathered in front of the secretariat.
Police had put up barricades along the road outside the Secretariat as well as other arterial roads nearby.
Two days back, Kejriwal had announced that his entire cabinet will sit outside the secretariat to resolve grievances of people. The complainants, who met the Chief Minister or the Cabinet ministers, were issued a receipt about their complaints.
