Hurry to Bury AAP Shows Old Parties’ Fear of New Kid on the Block

It seems that older parties like Congress & BJP are eager to shunt out AAP out of the fray, perceiving a threat.

AAP head Arvind Kejriwal.

(Photo: Lijumol Joseph/The Quint)

Is it pure imagination or is there a deliberate attempt by all to kiss Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) goodbye as another political ‘has been’? In light of the Delhi High Court’s judgment against 20 AAP MLAs (who were disqualified by the Election Commission), as the AAP Convenor for Karnataka, I question the undue haste that many parties – and a few media houses – showed in tweeting and ‘breaking news’ on TV about the outcome even before the verdict was announced.

Insecurity Among Old Parties

What is the real strategy behind pre-empting the High Court judgment and celebrating? Is fake news trending? Who is behind this and why? I believe that the anti-AAP campaign by vested interests is indeed a fact. Is it not ironical that all 20 AAP MLAs were reinstated?

The fundamental truth is that all the traditional political parties fear AAP – strange, given that AAP is the new kid on the block. Though one would argue there is nothing to fear but the truth. The fact is that the traditional parties have a deep-rooted distrust of those who are incorruptible.

I would like to recall the ‘India against corruption’ movement which established us as the architects of the Anti Corruption Bill or Jan Lokpal Bill. The then UPA government minister mentioned that laws are not made on the ‘maidan’, so fight elections to enact bills and bring about change.

In 2013, we fought our first election in Delhi and won – but failed to muster majority. We formed the government with outside support from the Congress. When the Jan Lokpal Bill was presented in the assembly, BJP and Congress decided to sleep with the enemy and defeated the bill. In 49 days we demitted office because we could not go back on the promise on the basis of which we had won the elections. We believed it was our moral obligation to go back to the electorate and seek fresh mandate.

AAP’s Ethos of Participative Politics

Perhaps the most discernible change that we brought about was to track down the corrupt. There would be no ‘under-the-table’ business anymore; every deal was on the table. We had the Anti Corruption Bureau reporting to us, we had a helpline that handled calls and there was no fear of wrongdoing. All these initiatives were stalled with the BJP government at the Centre withdrawing ACB from the Delhi Government the moment AAP returned to power.

Since then, AAP in Delhi has done phenomenal work in education and healthcare. The mohalla clinics are proof of this. The model government schools have transformed the way education can be imparted by involving parents as stakeholders. Parents were inducted into the management committees of schools. We hope to replicate these measures in Karnataka.

Perhaps the ‘X factor’ that BJP and Congress failed to recognise is that AAP is unpredictable, as it is a people’s party. Politics is based on ideology, but rarely are political parties formed on the basis of a few burning issues such as corruption, lack of governance and accountability. A party with no muscle or money power is joining the fray in Karnataka. Perhaps the only one which has a walk-in concept. One does not need to be a member but just volunteer to participate. There are no pre-requisites or experience required to work for AAP. Issues are decided by the public.

The Real Goliaths

Our focus is on inclusiveness, governance and honesty. What Karnataka needs is not politics but governance along the lines of corporate ethical standards and accountability.

AAP represents power to the people through participative politics. This is a clarion call to those citizens who wish to join in the transformation of governing Karnataka.

While people call us underdogs, I believe we are the Goliaths and NOT Davids, since the power of a people's movement is infinite. My understanding is that the traditional political parties will run for cover over the coming weeks.

(Prithvi Reddy is the AAP candidate from Sarvagnanagar Assembly Constituency and his opponent is KJ George. This is the first election Prithvi Reddy is fighting. This is an opinion piece and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for them.)