New Delhi, April 4 : Saying “India needs an Arvind Kejriwal model”, former senior Karnataka police officer Bhaskar Rao on Monday joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) here. Rao, a former Additional Director General of Police and a former Bengaluru Police Commissioner, joined the AAP in the presence of its leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. He quit service to take the political plunge. “I have seen all the parties from inside the system and I am convinced India needs an Arvind Kejriwal model,” Rao told the media in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. “The day I saw Delhi government schools and Mohalla Clinics, I decided to join the AAP,” he added. Rao said that although Karnataka was a progressive state, the kind of money spent on paper over the years had not led to any dramatic improvement in the quality of people’s lives in the state. He also spoke about corruption and alleged — in an obvious reference to the hijab controversy — that people’s attention in Karnataka was being diverted to “other issues” from the lack of good quality governance. Kejriwal greeted Rao. “Welcome to the AAP family,” he tweeted. “Your experience in public service will definitely help AAP to strengthen and grow in Karnataka.” MR PRT RNJ