Kejriwal Launches AAP’s Students Wing for Alternative Politics

NEW DELHI:
After 10 years of arriving on the national political scene, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday launched its students’ wing — Association of Students for Alternative Politics (ASAP) — aiming to attract young voters as part of its national ambitions.

In his rare public appearance after the Delhi Assembly elections in February, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal told students from Delhi University, Indraprastha University and those from Punjab and Gujarat in the audience, “We will force people to rethink about the superiority of our brand of alternative politics over the mainstream politics of other parties.”

Sharing his blueprint for the ASAP, he said several student groups will be formed to conduct discussions, cultural and social activities for offering them a platform to connect with society.

“Today’s politics is responsible for the big national challenges which are peculiar and basic — lack of food, health care, and education. Even after 75 years of Independence, the country is struggling to provide these facilities to citizens,” he said, highlighting AAP’s brand of alternative politics that treats the poor and the rich alike.

Calling the brand of Congress and BJP politics as harmful “mainstream politics”, the former Delhi Chief Minister said, “The mainstream politics pursued by the new BJP government in Delhi has resulted in power cuts of 3-4 hours in the city, private schools have hiked fees and quality of government schools has also deteriorated.”

Urging youth and students to join politics, he said, “Politics touches every aspect of our lives.”

He also criticised the mentality of middle-class students to keep themselves away from politics.

Urging the youth not to look down upon politics, he said, “Even the power supply to your house is linked to politics. When AAP was in power in Delhi for 10 years, there was 24-hour electricity. Today, there are power cuts in Delhi. So, there is politics involved even in the issue of continuous and affordable power supply to your homes.”

“Your jobs — whether government or private — are also linked to politics. You cannot stay away from politics. You have to join politics and become a part of it,” said Kejriwal.

Recalling AAP rule in Delhi and highlighting the party’s rule in Punjab, Kejriwal talked about good quality government schools and improved health facilities, and hit out at the BJP government in Delhi for allegedly deteriorating the quality of schools.

He claimed credit for demolishing the “education mafia” in schools in Delhi, which runs “private schools in the city and raises fees at will”.

“It has just been three months since the Delhi government came to power, and private schools have raised fees and posted bouncers at their gates to keep away students who have not been able to pay school fees,” he said, referring to a top private school in Dwarka.