As the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leads in 75 seats of the total 117 seats in Punjab, shocking the incumbent Congress, the Panthic Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP-Punjab Lok Congress combine, Punjab co-in charge and Delhi MLA Raghav Chadha speaks exclusively to News18 on the party’s arduous journey in Punjab and whether the AAP has arrived nationally.
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“Today’s results have shown that Punjab has given a thumbs up to the Kejriwal model of governance. People of Punjab have proved that the traditional parties, politicians practicing their traditional dirty politics need to be removed,” said Chadha, dissing the previous Congress and SAD governments who have been ruling the state since 1966.
Chadha said the people of Punjab were fed up of the Congress and wanted “change”. Stressing AAP’s national ambition thereon, Chadha said, “There is no doubt that today’s results have made the AAP the fastest growing political party ever in the history of Indian politics. Today, we are a national party, a force to reckon with nationally. No other party has achieved the status… It is not for the AAP to decide whether to fight Gujarat, Himachal, it is the people of those states to decide whether they want AAP in their state or not.”
Edited excerpts:
Q: Did you expect this sort of a victory?
A: Punjab, for a very long time, has been yearning for change. Since 1966, Punjab has had 26 years of Congress and 24 years of Akali rule. And the plight of the people of Punjab in these years has gone from bad to worse. Only the financial, social, political state of the leaders, who have run the state or ruled the state rather, have increased, favorably increased multifold. Therefore, Punjab was a yearning for change. Today’s results have shown that Punjab has given a thumbs up to the Kejriwal model of governance. People of Punjab have proved that the traditional parties, politicians practicing their traditional dirty politics need to be removed from their ‘mahal and singhason’. They need to be replaced with upright agents of change and that is what the Aam Aadmi Party signifies. This election also shows that an election can be fought and won purely on a positive agenda. Our opponents tried to use muscle and money power, dirty propaganda, communalise the elections but they were not able to succeed. It is the people of Punjab who voted overwhelmingly for change and Aam Aadmi Party ran a positive campaign.
Q: What was the turning point during the campaign as the Congress was on the rise at one point?
A: Look, people of Punjab had made up their mind from the very first day. Of course, in day-to-day politics, things change, events happen etc but that does mean that it influences the choice of a voter. They voted change. They didn’t pay attention to the shenanigans of Charanjit Singh Channi. They were completely disenchanted by the Akali Dal and the 150 promises made by Sukhbir Singh Badal did not echo with the sentiments of the people. The tried and tested Delhi model as has been demonstrated by Arvind Kejriwal saab has been actually accepted, appreciated and acknowledged. They (people of Punjab) want to see that, feel that, experience that in their state now. And there is no doubt that today’s results have made the AAP the fastest growing political party ever in the history of Indian politics. Today, we are a national party, a force to reckon with nationally. No other party has achieved the status, the perception or the formidability that AAP has achieved so soon.
Q: When you were made the Punjab co-in charge, were you apprehensive given the history of the party in the state? How did you execute your role?
A: I have to write a book on this. It can’t be answered in one sentence. Well! I was appointed the co-in charge of Punjab in December 2020. I hail from the state of Punjab but I was appointed the co-in charge to get into the state politics. For close to one and half years, I have been toiling. I have given my blood, sweat and tears to this under the leadership of my leader. I am completely overwhelmed that my leader, Arvind Kejriwal, has shown such tremendous faith in me to give such a big responsibility to a political toddler and an extremely young person and an inexperienced person. I would, perhaps, have not trusted a young guy of 32 or 31 years with a state as critical as this. I would not have done it. He has shown immense faith in me and I pray to God that He gives me immense power and strength that I do justice to all the roles and responsibilities that have been assigned to me and fare well on his expectations.
Q: What were the specific responsibilities that were assigned to you in Punjab?
A: As the co-in charge, you virtually look after everything. Arvind Kejriwal is a very hands-on person. He personally looked after the campaign from end-to-end. There are different facets to a campaign: from outdoor publicity to backroom organisation building to organizing ‘jan sabhas’ to outreach programmes to erecting hoardings and banners and doing events and Townhall and selection of candidates. It is a huge process. And all of us collectively have managed to do it and it is a team work. It is not that I am the only one, I may be most visible to you since I am on the camera, it is an army of soldiers that Kejriwal has created and under his leadership we have fought and won this election.
Q: What were the most difficult challenges that you faced in Punjab?
A: Initially, there was a perception that Majha and Doaba (regions) were weak and the AAP has no presence there, even in Malwa, which is the biggest region of Punjab. And we have proved that perception wrong. Today, we have done extremely well in all three regions. Since that was the perception, all of us, and I, particularly, concentrated a lot on Majha and Deoba regions and strengthened the organisation, found the right candidates, did the right messaging, door-to-door campaigning, hard labour on the field. We did all of that. Today’s results show that honesty, uprightness and sheer hard work will be rewarded by the people. I bow down today first before the people of Punjab and second before the workers and volunteers of the Aam Aadmi Party.
Q: How critical was naming Bhagwant Mann as the chief ministerial candidate to the success of your campaign?
A: I can say that subsequent to naming our chief ministerial candidate, the campaign, the popularity, the acceptability, the acknowledgement and, perhaps, even the vote share of the Aam Aadmi Party increased. To announce the name of a chief mistrial candidate is as important as deciding the name of the chief ministerial candidate. The timing in an election campaign is of utmost importance. We have realised that and learnt that over the years fighting elections. And we executed it well. That much I can certainly say.
Q: Everybody in Punjab says Raghav Chadha will have a role post the victory. What role do you see for yourself in Punjab?
Q: I was given a job to get the party to contest the Punjab 2022 assembly elections. That was the only job that was assigned to me. I have executed that job. And if at all my party, Arvind Kejriwal, Bhagwant Mann feel that my services are required in Punjab outside of Delhi, then whatever responsibility is given to me, I shall certainly try to execute that to the best of my abilities.
Q: You never said whom did you perceive to be a bigger threat during the course of the campaign in Punjab. Whether it was the Congress, Akalis, Captain Amarinder Singh or BJP combined?
A: All. I would be completely wrong in classifying any one of them as my principal challenger. All were my principal challenger. In fact, their collective conglomerate was my principal challenger. Because all of them fought elections hand in glove, and against the Aam Aadmi Party. All of them had a tactical understanding, they fought as a unit. So, it was Kejriwal vs all, Bhagwant Mann vs all in Punjab.
Q: What next for the AAP?
A: We will let you know. I would again emphasise that the Aam Aadmi Party is the fastest growing political party in the history of independent India. We are a national party now. We are a national force to reckon with. To my mind, the AAP is the natural and national replacement of the Congress. And we will, of course, be going back to the drawing board and see people of which state desire the Aam Aadmi Party. It is not for the AAP to decide whether to fight Gujarat, Himachal, it is the people of those states to decide whether they want AAP in their state or not.
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