Communal politics practised by mainstream parties root cause of all problems Kejriwal

    New Delhi, May 20 (PTI) AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday alleged that communal politics practised by mainstream political parties over the past 75 years was the root cause of the country's persistent problems such as lack of nutrition, education and employment.
    Speaking at the launch of the AAP's student wing — the Association of Students for Alternative Politics (ASAP) — Kejriwal claimed parties such as the BJP and Congress have historically focused on Hindu-Muslim narratives instead of addressing core developmental issues.
    "Our country is grappling with a lot of problems. People do not have food or access to education. Why is this happening? It is because parties like the BJP, the Congress and others have only indulged in politics in the last 75 years," the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said.
    "These parties are only teaching our school children about Hindu-Muslim... This is the root cause of problems in our country," he said.
    The former Delhi chief minister also accused the BJP-led dispensation of working towards destroying the education system in the national capital, built by the AAP during its 10-year rule.
    "Within three months, they (BJP) have started ruining the education system in Delhi. The AAP did not allow the private school mafia to increase fees in 10 years of its tenure," he said.
    "Nowadays, there are three to four-hour-long power cuts in Delhi, which did not happen earlier," Kejriwal added.
    Talking about the ASAP, Kejriwal said student cultural groups would be formed in colleges across the country under the forum.
    The launch of ASAP marks a major restructuring of the AAP's student outreach strategy, replacing its previous student wing, the Chatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS), with the new outfit.
    However, the move has triggered internal criticism with Sadique Raza, a CYSS leader terming it "unfair and dismissive of the years of dedication by student volunteers".
    "Thousands of students devoted the most crucial years of their academic careers to establishing CYSS in universities and campuses. It was through their relentless effort that CYSS earned its reputation. Today, the party unilaterally dissolved CYSS and imposed a new name. This is unacceptable," Raza said in a statement.
    "This is a blatant disregard for the hard work of thousands. No power in the world, no matter how strong, can dismantle CYSS in this manner. We will never allow that to happen," he added.
    In response, AAP said in an official statement that CYSS had not achieved the desired success and failed to establish a dominant presence even in Delhi and Punjab universities. "Hence, the Aam Aadmi Party has made a new plan to launch the student organization afresh and make a deeper inroad among the youth," it said.
    At the event, former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said, "ASAP has two beautiful things. One is alternative politics and the other is its name -- ASAP. We need revolutionary policy reforms ASAP (as soon as possible)."
    He emphasised that ASAP was not just about fighting student union elections but also aimed at fostering student development and raising issues of alternative politics.
    "Elections are being held only in 5 per cent of colleges and universities. We will do the politics of education reform," Sisodia said.
    AAP leader Avadh Ojha said, "A country either has natural resources or human resources. For the first time in the country, our party and our leader Arvind Kejriwal emphasised the strengthening of human resources through education and health revolution."

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)