Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal, in a meeting with party volunteers on Sunday, said the people had voted in the Lok Sabha election keeping the Prime Minister’s face in mind as they thought it was a national election and not one for AAP.
Preparing a roadmap for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections, Mr. Kejriwal told the volunteers that it was time to seek votes on the basis of the work done. The volunteers decided that Dilli mein toh Kejriwal [Delhi will have Kejriwal] should be the motto of the Assembly elections due next year.
“l congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for winning a second term. I hope that the Centre works in good faith with the State government for the betterment of Delhi. However, we need to understand the difference between our expectations and results. For one, there was a certain wave across the country, which also gripped Delhi,” the CM said.
He congratulated the party volunteers and candidates for fighting the “best campaign”.
“You did not care it was day or night. You forgot your families and left jobs to help fight the best campaign. I salute the volunteers who gave their tan, man, and dhan [body, heart and money] to this campaign. Our volunteers should hold their heads high today for having done their job so well,” he said.
Attempting to boost the morale of party workers, he said they should be proud that over four years into governance and six years post-formation of the party, AAP remains dedicated to the same founding principle — honest politics. The party still works towards ending corruption, he said.
“You should be proud that despite multiple police, CBI, I-T, ED and other agencies raiding the residences and offices of your Chief Minister, his deputy and their families, the officials could not prove corruption of even a single paisa,” he said.
Mr. Kerjiwal added that all leaders, office-bearers and volunteers of the party are today just as honest as they were on November 26, 2012, when the party was formed.
He asked the volunteers to ask Delhiites whether they believed that if they had elected a BJP State government four years ago, would there be the transformation of schools, creation of mohalla clinics or door-step delivery, as was under by AAP regime.
“Ask the people of Delhi that if the BJP were to come to power in Delhi in 2020, wouldn’t the government hospitals fall back to their pathetic conditions? Wouldn’t electricity and water prices rise again? Wouldn’t schools go back to their crumbling state?,” he said, adding: “Shed this air of dismay and start afresh with a smile and ensure that AAP increases its 54% vote share that it got in the last Assembly election.”
Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said the LS pol may have been fought on one name but the Assembly elections will be fought on issues such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure where AAP’s work has been recognised globally.
“In 2015, we won on the basis of work done in 49 days. Now AAP will win on the strength of work done in five years,” Mr. Singh said.
