Kejriwal hasn't done anything to curb corruption: Santosh Hegde

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has earned a big thumbs-down from a key colleague in the then "India Against Corruption" movement, N Santosh Hegde who says the AAP chief has not done anything to curb corruption in the first year of power.

"The most important effort which is supposed to be against corruption, I don't see anything that is being done at all," Hegde, a former Supreme Court Judge said regarding the performance of the Delhi government which recently completed one year in office.

"I am not satisfied with his administration, especially curbing corruption," the former Karnataka Lokayukta told PTI in an interview.

Kejriwal and Hegde were among the key personalities behind the movement, spearheaded by Anna Hazare, which had at the time brought issue of corruption into sharp focus.

Kejriwal then went on to form political outfit, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Hegde recalled that he and Kejriwal were together for 18 months at the height of the movement, to which the latter contributed a lot.

Noting instances such as the Delhi Chief Minister sitting on a 'dharna' at Rajpath in Delhi and disposing of files in his first term, Hegde said Kejriwal probably lacked enough administrative experience.

"He (Kejriwal) still thinks he is in Opposition. He is still in the agitation mode rather than the administrator. He should be more matured," he said.

Hegde referred to cases against some AAP MLAs and ministers, and said Kejriwal should have done "background check-up" on candidates before giving them tickets to contest Assembly elections and also on those in his Cabinet later.

Barring initiatives such as the one to control pollution, he said nothing great has happened (in the first year in office of Kejriwal government), something more than what the previous administrations have done.

"...the perception outside is that nothing has changed so far as corruption in administration is concerned," Hegde said.

Noting that AAP had earned tremendous faith of the people in the last Assembly elections in which the party recorded a massive win, he said the outfit should have utilised the opportunity in a much better way.

"They had a wonderful opportunity of showing to the people of Delhi and outside...what honesty can do to the system. But that is what is missing. Probably administrative experience is not enough to run a government," Hegde said.

On the 20-month tenure of the Narendra Modi government, he said promises made before the elections have not been kept.

"I don't think promises that were made were met at all. It may be a long-term project (to implement those promises). He (Modi) should have gone slow on promises," Hegde said.

"I heard somebody saying that Congress ruled for so many years...do you expect Prime Minister to fulfill promises in a few months," he said. "That's not the thing. Then he should have made promises which he can keep. He could have made promises that he could fulfill."

Barring foreign policy, Hegde said he is not very happy with the performance of the Modi government in the areas like corruption and growth rate.