Public-spirited youth welcome to join AAP: Arvind Kejriwal

Doda: AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said the public-spirited youth should come forward to join his party, asserting the people of the country had given a clear message to the BJP during the Lok Sabha polls that “your way of functioning is not acceptable to us”.

The former Delhi chief minister accused the BJP of making every attempt to destabilize his government, which worked for the betterment of people for the past 10 years.

“I will go around the country to invite the public-spirited youth to join the party for the betterment of the country. We have to give answers to the rulers that government does not mean hooliganism and corruption but service to the people to improve their lives,” Kejriwal said addressing a public rally in this hilly district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener was in Doda to thank people for electing his party leader Mehraj Malik as a member of the legislative assembly.

Kejriwal said every election is a message to the political leadership in the country.

“During parliamentary elections, the people gave the BJP 240 seats despite (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi’s 400 seat target. The message to the BJP was that your way of governance is not acceptable to us and change your way otherwise get ready to see your seats coming down to 140 next time,” he said.

Kejriwal said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is the only political outfit in the country which is seeking votes from people on the assurance of providing their children better education, employment opportunities, free treatment to patients and free electricity.

“AAP is different because we believe in providing good education, better facilities in hospitals, electricity, roads, water. The goal is to improve your lives and work for nation building…In Delhi, we have shown it practically and I have a plan to implement this model throughout the country in five years. There is no dearth of money,” he said.

Kejriwal said his government provided six free facilities to the people in Delhi but the prime minister is not happy and is targeting his party for distributing what he called freebies.

“You (Modi) are doing everything for one friend but we worked for three crore people of Delhi. Kejriwal is not giving freebies but in fact earning the blessings of the people,” he said, adding the BJP which is ruling nearly two dozen states in the country could not provide free electricity or improve education system hospital services but “we did it in Delhi and were jailed to hinder our good work”.

Kejriwal said that he and other party leaders are out of jail because of the people’s blessings, love and trust.

“I have been the chief minister of Delhi but do not own a house of mine and my bank accounts are also empty,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Punjab chief minister praised Malik for his spectacular win in the assembly elections and said “his win is the beginning of new development in J&K”.

“AAP is the party of commoners who have no blood relations like the people in other parties. Common man like Malik becomes a legislator, a minister and a chief minister. Our party’s symbol is the broom which will clean the politics in the country,” he said.

Mann alleged that the BJP leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, is living in pride and “in Punjab there is a saying that almighty and pride don’t go together”.

He said the AAP has given a new direction to the politics in the country in the shortest period of 10 years and “no jail can stop this movement which is growing across the country with each passing day”.

“You have jailed Kejriwal but what about his ideology,” he added.

Sanjay Singh also praised Kejriwal for his leadership qualities and his work as the chief minister of Delhi.