Politics should always be for the people, says AAP’s Delhi Convener Dilip Pandey

Long back when the term democracy was etched, it was a combination of two Greek words — demos and kratos — which essentially means ‘people’s power’. 

In any democracy, what the people say is of paramount importance and that is what should be the driving force of the elected representatives towards a better country for the common people. This ideology was taken up by the Aam Aadmi Party who snatched away politics from the hands of the ‘high and mighty’ and brought it to the doorstep of the common people of Delhi. 

In an exclusive interview to Godhuli Barat, AAP’s Delhi Convener Dilip Pandey says how the Delhi model of politics by the AAP has carved a way forward for them to make inroads to Punjab and Goa. Excerpts: 

A: Earlier, there was BJP and congress and neither of them were honest alternatives. When the AAP came, it was a political start up and people encouraged and supported us. We have grown day by day without having any political capital. It is a ‘single agenda driven social movement’. People bestowed their belief in us in just 49 days and gave us a second chance. The Central government is very revengeful and they don’t like oppositions. But we did not bend and neither did we get intimidated. Narendra Modi is damaging himself instead of damaging us which is helping us to go forward.

A: The BJP-led MCDs have financially and functionally collapsed and we don’t have to convince anyone about it. The main aim of the AAP is to expose the wrongdoings of the BJP. It is difficult to buy even a floor without bribing the MCD engineers even if someone is a BJP voter.

A: It’s true that we are facing challenges but if you ask me about controversies; I would say NO. Why would we need controversies at all if we are allowed to do our work within our limited boundaries? Several Bills such as the VAT simplification Bill, Minimum Wages Bill and two Bills related to schools have been proposed by us which have still not been passed by the central Government which means Modiji is anti-lower class, anti-middle class, anti-traders and anti-students. What Modi is scared off is that if the Bills are passed then a strong comparison will be drawn between the two governments which will further affect their image and hence, will lead to losing prominence in Punjab, Goa and Gujarat too. And this is essentially why they want to remove the AAP from Delhi.

A: It is a step taken in frustration. If you go through the building of the Delhi Secretariat you will find that most of the important positions are vacant where either the officers have been arrested by the Modi government or are being transferred to places where there are no such requirements, and this has resulted in Delhi having less than 50 per cent of the required number of officers. We never defend someone if found guilty but the way the Modi government is doing things, it sharply indicates that they are doing it out of political frustration.

A: The best political strategy for campaigning is a man-to-man connection. We believe in Janta ki Politics. We prefer going in the midst of the crowd, listen to their problems and try to solve them as much as we can. The BJP and the Akali Dal lack credibility to campaign and win elections which Arvind Kejriwal can do without any hindrance.