New Delhi, May 20
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.”