AAP growing faster as it's committed to Kaam ki Rajneeti

Making inroads in the recent Gram Panchayat polls the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is gearing up to contest the upcoming taluk panchayat, ZP, municipal and BBMP polls. State AAP convener Prithvi Reddy has been tirelessly working to build the party's base in Karnataka.

In a freewheeling interview with The Hans India he shares interesting insights into the party's rise amidst the traditional dominance of Congress, JD(S) and BJP.

How hopeful you are given the AAP's extraordinary performances in the civic polls in Gujarat and Delhi?

There are two answers to this question. First, the need for an alternative to traditional politics is already being strongly felt. People all over the country are seeking change and hoping that AAP will come to their state soon. A large number of citizens everywhere are realising that the promise of 'Acche Din' by the BJP was more sloganeering than an honest effort to effect real change on the ground. Even the most ardent ideological supporters of the current regime are suffering the consequences of electing the present government: Rising cost of living, youth unemployment, farmers' distress and basic day-today issues that affect the common citizen remain unresolved and every section of society is struggling to make ends meet.

The Congress, meanwhile, is in self-destructive mode and has forgotten what it means to play an effective role in opposition. While one side is spreading hate, the other side is spreading fear, but in fact they are two sides of the same coin.

As the only other party with voter appeal across the country, AAP is now seen as the natural flag-bearer of people's hope for alternatives. This is not merely because others are failing, but increasingly because our model of governance is gaining popularity. While voters may get swayed by ideologies espoused by political parties, which is a game every politician plays, the real reason citizens elect a government is to work, to improve their daily lives. AAP has concentrated on delivery of public goods and government services, efficiently and without corruption. We have stayed away from divisive politics and focused on "Kaam ki Rajneeti", the politics of working for the people.

The evidence of what the AAP government has done in six years, and what it continues to do every day, is overwhelming. Voters recognise this, not only in Delhi but increasingly in other states too. That is the reason that AAP is not just the youngest national party, but also the fastest growing one in the country.

The AAP in Karnataka has been selling the Kejriwal model of governance. Given the traditional dominance of the Congress and JD(S) and now the BJP, do you think it will work?

Throughout India, AAP has been publicising and promoting the Kejriwal model of governance. We have been doing this in Karnataka too, in every district and taluk. The people of our state have already seen and experienced the working models of other parties - from Congress to BJP and JD(S) - and frankly, they cannot tell the difference between them. They are all uniformly and equally uninterested in the welfare of the citizens, and single-mindedly focused on increasing their personal wealth and power.

What's the core issues you want to focus on in the coming polls?

Our answer to this is simple. AAP will first address the basic needs of people, to help them live a dignified life, with proper access to education, health care, water, sanitation and electricity, as well as doorstep delivery of government services. These will be done without the slightest tolerance for corruption, and in an accountable and transparent way. All of this will be carried out without any increase in taxes and new burdens on the common man.

How will AAP be able to do this when every other party has failed?

We believe that the real strength of AAP is the basic humanity with which all Indians should see each other. The children lacking nutrition or education - these are our children too. The young men and women searching for jobs - they are our future too. The families struggling to make ends meet and still provide a better future - they are all part of us. Ensuring lives of dignity for them, therefore, is not merely a political or administrative goal. It is a moral obligation of an elected government because that is the one and only reason people elect governments.

The number of people in the country who lack these basic amenities and services is staggering. All of us hope to see India become a developed country one day, but we must recognise that it is not going to happen if we do not ensure meaningfully better lives for the majority who are poor. In fact the opposite is true - if the lower-income half of our population directly benefits from our development initiatives, the country will grow by leaps and bounds.

Our plans for the transformation of Bengaluru are nothing like the promises of other parties. They claim to transform our city into Singapore one day, and London the next day, while not even being able to deliver a slightly better version of Bengaluru. More than wild imagination and pipe dreams, they need humility and a commitment to public service, without which no city can become great. The visible improvements in Delhi are proof that the AAP model works. We want that kind of change in Bengaluru too.

Over the past decade all three traditional parties, which we call 'JCB' – Janata Dal, Congress and BJP - have been voted to power and given the opportunity to fix Bengaluru. But things have only gone from bad to worse. This time people will have a real choice, a choice of voting for a new party that has an amazing track record of delivering more public good in six years than other parties have done in the past 70 years.

The AAP was not seen to be vocal enough on burning issues like CAA. Was it trying to play safe?

We have taken a stance on all key issues in the country, like the CAA, the ongoing farmers' protests, the response to the pandemic, migrants' difficulties and our leaders across the country have repeatedly spoken about these.

Sure, these are important issues but has someone asked the common citizen what problems she faces every day of her life? What about corruption in delivery of public services, broken, garbage strewn roads, crumbling educational and health infrastructure, issues that are far more real for the common citizen than the contentious ones that make it to media headlines? Rather than talk about rising prices, unemployment, the degrading environment and apathy of public servants our TV anchors spend endless time on issues that are intentionally brought into focus only to distract the country from the terrible performance of the traditional parties. We need to ask ourselves why?

Of late, your party has been addressing local civic issues. In your view, would it translate to votes and how would address the gap given the fact that policy is dictated at the assembly level?

In matters like economic policy, foreign policy, etc. there can be different opinions, but on issues like roads, garbage, government schools and hospitals, parks and lakes, the plain reality is in front of everyone. There is no debate required. To solve these issues, policy is not the problem. In writing, we have the best policies in place. It is translating these policies into action where our governments are failing. We are preparing ourselves for local body elections and hence are primarily concerned with local issues. The public also expects immediate improvement, especially in a local body election. We are merely being attentive to what the people want.

It is also worth asking why other parties have not delivered these basic services, especially when they were in power, both at the local and the state level. AAP gets asked a lot of questions about its model of governance, but other parties seem to get a free pass. They are only asked about political games, power grabs and 'resort' politics because that is what they seem to do best. In a way, that is a kind of proof that people expect good governance from AAP because they genuinely believe that we are capable of delivering it. Their expectations from others are low, for obvious reasons.

During the last few weeks, we have been opening offices in different wards and Assembly constituencies in Bengaluru, and in a few other places elsewhere in Karnataka. We have been holding a lot more meetings in different localities, and are seeing more and more people come forward to be volunteers and campaigners for the party. I am confident that this trend will continue. This will also bring pressure on other parties to pay attention to issues that voters care about.

Every local election victory, however small or large, is proof that it is possible to construct a very different kind of politics in our country. In fact, our performance in Bengaluru too should be a stepping stone for further growth of the party, prompting people to ask, "if it can happen in Delhi and Surat and Bengaluru, why not here too?" I believe that day will come, if enough of us work for it. And the opportunity to serve millions of fellow Kannadigas is the only motivation we need to do that.