NOIDA: "Is it possible to be in politics without leaving the path of honesty," wonders IPS officer-turned-politician Asim Arun as he seeks financial support from people to fight the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
The former Kanpur police commissioner had in January opted for voluntary retirement from the service and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has fielded him from the Kannauj (Sadar) seat for the polls.
In his appeal on social media, 51-year-old Arun says he is now into "Lok Seva" (service of the people), which requires money for works to be done but he does "not want to compromise his basic principles". He also suggests measures like maintaining less number of vehicles, having less staff and "transparency" in expenses for people in public service to keep the expenditure in check.
"My father late Shriram Arun is often cited as an example when it comes to honesty and I have always tried to follow his path. Now I am in 'Lok Seva' but on the condition that I will not compromise with my basic principles," Arun said.
"On the other hand, public service requires money for works to be completed. This is the reason why conscious people feel that they would have fixed certain problems if they were in a position of power but get discouraged thinking of the expenses required to fix the problem," he added.
"I consider my life to be an experiment in which I am now testing whether it is possible to engage in politics without leaving the path of honesty? I know several public representatives who have been successful at this and are inspiration to me," Arun said in a statement.
Appealing for crowd support, he said complete transparency would be maintained with the financial assistance which could be made through his website - "http://asimarun.in".
Kannauj (Sadar) falls in the Kannauj district of Uttar Pradesh. The seat is reserved for SC candidates and is a so-called bastion of the Samajwadi Party. The assembly seat goes to the polls on February 20 during the third phase of the elections in the state.