Aam Aadmi Party (translation: Common Man's Party; abbreviated as AAP) is an Indian
political party, formally launched on 26 November 2012 and is
currently the ruling party of Delhi. It came into
existence following differences between the activists Arvind Kejriwal and Anna Hazare regarding whether or not to
politicise the popular India
Against Corruption movement that had been demanding a Jan Lokpal Bill since 2011. Hazare
preferred that the movement should remain politically unaligned while Kejriwal
felt the failure of the agitation route necessitated a direct political
involvement.
|
Aam Aadmi Party
|
|
|
AAP
|
|
 |
|
|
Leader
|
|
|
Founder
|
India Against
CorruptionVolunteers
|
|
Founded
|
26 November 2012
|
|
Headquarters
|
|
|
Newspaper
|
|
|
Student wing
|
|
|
Women's wing
|
|
|
Peasant's wing
|
Kisan Kranti Manch
|
|
Colours
|
|
|
State party
|
|
|
National convener
|
Arvind Kejriwal
|
|
Seats inLok Sabha
|
4 / 543
|
|
Seats inRajya Sabha
|
0 / 245
|
|
67 / 70
|
|
|
Website
|
|
The party made its electoral debut in the 2013 Delhi legislative assembly election, where it emerged as
the second-largest party, winning 28 of the 70 seats. With no party obtaining
an overall majority, the AAP formed a minority
government with conditional support from the Indian
National Congress. A significant part of its agenda was to quickly
introduce the Jan Lokpal bill in the Union Territory. When it became clear
after the election that the other major parties would not support this bill,
the AAP government resigned. It had been in power for 49 days.
In the 2015 Delhi Legislative Assembly election, AAP won 67 of the 70
seats available. Its chief opponent, the Bhartiya Janta Party,
was reduced to three seats, while the Indian
National Congress was reduced to zero.[6]
In India where 75 percent of the sources of
funds to political parties remain unknown,[7] AAP is the only party that
voluntarily publishes its donations live on its website.[8]
Contents
·
3 Agenda
Background
The AAP has its origins in the India Against
Corruption movement organised by Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal and some other
social activists who had been involved in Team Anna, a strand of the anti-corruption
movement for a Jan Lokpal Bill that had gained momentum in India during 2011 and 2012.[9] Hazare had wanted to keep
the movement politically neutral but Kejriwal considered that direct
involvement in politics was necessary because attempts to obtain progress
regarding the Jan Lokpal Bill through talks with existing political parties
had, in his opinion, achieved nothing. A survey conducted on a Facebook page
that purported to be operated by India Against Corruption[10] and other social
networking services had indicated that there was wide support for
politicisation.[11][12] Hazare rejected the poll,
saying "elections require huge funds, which will be tough for activists to
organise without compromising on their values". He also said it would be
difficult to ensure that candidates are not corrupted once elected.[13][14]
Arvind Kejriwal in the IAC
movement
Hazare and Kejriwal agreed on 19 September
2012 that their differences regarding a role in politics were irreconcilable.
Kejriwal had support from some anti-corruption movement activists, such as Prashant Bhushan and Shanti Bhushan, but was opposed by others
such as Kiran Bedi and Santosh Hegde. On 2 October,[15] Kejriwal announced that he
was forming a political party and that he intended the formal launch to be on
26 November, coinciding with the anniversary of India's adoption of its constitution in 1949.[11][12]
The party's name reflects the phrase Aam Aadmi, or "common man",
whose interests Kejriwal proposed to represent. A party constitution was
adopted on 24 November 2012, when a National Council comprising 320 people and
a National Executive of 23 were also formed. Both the Council and the Executive
were expected to have more members in due course, with the intention being that
all districts and all classes of people would have a voice.[12] Various committees were
proposed to be formed to draft proposals for adoption by the party in a process
that was expected to take several months. Although one aim was to limit
nepotism, there were complaints at this initial meeting that the selection of
people invited to attend was itself an example of such practices[16] The party was formally
launched in Delhi on 26 November[17] and in March 2013 it was
registered as a political party by the Election
Commission of India.[18][a]
Ideology and issues
The AAP says that the promise of equality and
justice that forms a part of the constitution
of India and of its preamble has not been fulfilled
and that the independence
of Indiahas replaced enslavement to an oppressive foreign power with
that to a political elite. The party claims that the common people of India
remain unheard and unseen except when it suits the politicians. It wants to
reverse the way that the accountability of government operates and has taken an
interpretation of the Gandhian concept of swaraj as a tenet. It believes that through swaraj the government will be
directly accountable to the people instead of higher officials. The swaraj model lays stress on self-governance, community
building and decentralisation.[19][20]
Kejriwal has said that the AAP refuses to be
guided by ideologies and that they are entering politics to change the system,
Kejriwal said "We are aam aadmis. If we find our solution in the left we
are happy to borrow it from there. If we find our solution in the right, we are
happy to borrow it from there."[21]
In early 2014, there was some media
speculation that an alliance might form between the AAP and Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPIM). Prakash Karat, the CPIM leader, thought
that there were some ideological similarities between the two parties, such as
their agendas relating to social justice and decentralisation of power. The
AAP's Prashant Bhushan explicitly refuted any joining of forces, claiming that
there was corruption within the CPIM.[22][23] A columnist, T. C. A.
Srinivasa Raghavan, has said that AAP is right-wing when it comes to morality
and left-wing when it comes to economics.[24]
Agenda
Support
On 26 November 2012, the formal launch day of
the AAP, the former law minister, Shanti Bhushan, donated ₹10 million (US$160,000). Prashant Bhushan, his son, is a
member of the party's National Executive Committee.[26]
On 18 May 2013, a group of Indian-Americans
from 20 different cities in the USA held a convention in Chicago and extended support to the
AAP. The convention was attended by two AAP leaders, Kumar Vishwas and Yogendra Yadav, and Kejriwal addressed it
via video
conferencing.[27] Aruna Roy and Medha Patkar, who had differences with
Kejriwal on certain issues, supported him after his 15-day fast against
inflated electricity bills.[28]
On 22 March 2014, the Janata Dal (Secular)
party of Delhi announced it would merge with the Aam Aadmi Party, citing Arvind Kejriwal's tenure as Chief Minister
of Delhi.[29]
Protests
On 23 March 2013, Kejriwal began an
indefinite fast in an attempt to mobilize people against inflated power and
electricity bills at a house in Sundar Nagri, a low-income group resettlement
colony in North-East Delhi.[30] During the protest he urged Delhi citizens not to pay the "inflated"
water and electricity bills.[31] The AAP also demanded an
audit of power and electricity supply in Delhi by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India also supported by Civil
Society Groups like National Alliance of People’s Movement (NAPM).[32] The AAP claimed that the
protest gathered support from 100,000 people in Delhi on a single day and from
more than 300,000 people up to 28 March 2013.[33] Anna Hazare urged Kejriwal
to end the fast on 29 March and he did so on 6 April.[28]
On 10 June 2013, Kejriwal supported the
agitation by Delhi auto rickshaw drivers, who were
protesting the Delhi
government's ban on advertisements on auto rickshaws.
Kejriwal claimed the government's ban was because the drivers supported his
party and carried AAP's advertisements on their vehicles. He said that the AAP
would put 10,000 advertisements on auto rickshaws as a protest.[34] In retrospect, after
Kejriwal had been elected and then resigned his position, a union representing
the drivers expressed dissatisfaction saying "Arvind Kejriwal, who had won
the elections because of the support of the auto drivers, has betrayed them by
not fulfilling any of the promises made before the elections".[35]
Delhi Assembly election, 2013
The 2013 Delhi state assembly elections were
the party's first electoral contest. The Election Commission approved the
symbol of a "broom" for use by the AAP in that campaign.[37] The party said that its
candidates were honest and had been screened for potential criminal
backgrounds.[38] The AAP published its
central manifesto on 20 November 2013, promising to implement the Jan Lokpal
Bill within 15 days of coming to power.[39]
In November 2013, a sting operation conducted by Media Sarkar,
alleged that several leaders of AAP, including Kumar Vishwas and Shazia Ilmi had agreed to extend their
support to some people seeking assistance with land deals and other financial
arrangements in return for donations in cash to AAP.[40] Ilmi offered to withdraw
her candidature as a result but the party refused to accept her offer,
describing the footage as fabricated and a violation of the Model Code of
Conduct.[41] The Election Commission
ordered an inquiry regarding the legitimacy of the video.[42]
AAP emerged as the second-largest party in
Delhi winning 28 of the 70 Assembly seats; the Bharatiya
Janata Party as the single-largest party won 31 while its
ally Shiromani Akali
Dal won 1, Indian National Congress won 8 and two
were won by others.[43][44] On 28 December 2013, the
AAP formed a minority government in the hung Assembly, with what Sheila Dikshit
describes as "not unconditional" support from Indian National Congress.[45] Arvind Kejriwal became the
second-youngest Chief
Minister of Delhi.[46] As a result of the Delhi
elections, AAP became a recognized state party in Delhi.[47]
Election Results
|
Election year
|
# of total votes
|
% of overall vote
|
# of seats
|
|
23,22,330
|
29.49%
|
28 / 70
|
|
|
48,79,127
|
54.3%
|
67 / 70
|
|
Government of Delhi
After coming to power in Delhi, Arvind
Kejriwal announced reduction in electricity bills for up to 400 units, driven
by subsidy. He also ordered an audit of power distribution companies. The AAP
government also announced that the homes with metered connections will receive
20 kilolitres of free water per month, but will have to pay 10 per cent more if
they exceed that limit. The government scrapped Foreign
Direct Investment in multi-brand retail, thus preventing
development by international businesses such as Tescoand Walmart. It
established an anti-graft helpline for the citizens to report corrupt
officials.[48]
The government's plan to conduct Janata Durbars (public hearings with ministers)
were abandoned due to mismanagement. Vinod Kumar Binny, an AAP Member of the Legislative Assembly was expelled after
rebelling against the party.[48]
On 20 January 2014, Kejriwal and his
ministers staged protests at Rail Bhavan against the Union Government Home Ministry. These came
after his Law Minister, Somnath Bharti, had been dissatisfied with
the response from the Delhi police to allegations relating to a neighbourhood
popular with immigrants from Uganda and Nigeria. Kejriwal was demanding that
the police should come under direct control of the Delhi government and that
officers who had refused to do as Bharti had requested should be suspended. He
said that the protest will not hamper his work as he had brought along files
and would carry on working from the venue of the protest.[49] He later claimed that it
was the first time in Indian political history that a Chief Minister had protested on the
streets to raise his Government's demands for a fair inquiry. After two days,
he ended his fast when theLieutenant
Governor, Najeeb Jung, intervened by sending on
leave two of the policemen involved and setting up a judicial enquiry.[50][51]
Also in January 2014, the party's office in Ghaziabad was attacked by right-wing
activists protesting against Prashant Bhushan, who has expressed a personal
opinion against theArmed Forces (Special Powers) Act in Jammu & Kashmir by talking of a referendum
in that state to decide whether the people want the army to handle internal
security. This caused the AAP to determine that its prominent members would in
future refrain from expressing opinions on anything that was not agreed by a
broad consensus within the party.[52]
Financial support for the party from non-resident
Indians have halved while it has been in government,
possibly reflecting disenchantment. It has also admitted that its systems may
have significantly overstated members introduced through a nationwide
recruitment campaign that was affected by hoaxers.[48]
In February 2014, the AAP tried to introduce
a Jan Lokpal Bill in the Delhi Assembly, However, Jung said that the AAP
government tabling the bill without his agreement would be
"unconstitutional" because the correct procedures for introduction
had not been followed. This view was supported by Congress and the BJP, and
Jung advised the Assembly Speaker not to allow the tabling.[53] The AAP government stated
that it was following all the procedures and there was no need to obtain prior
approval from the centre or Lt Governor to table the bill, and tried to table
the bill. When BJP and INC blocked the introduction of the bill, the AAP
government resigned and Delhi was placed under President's rule instead.[54] Kejriwal alleged that there
was a nexus among Congress, BJP and the industrialist Mukesh Ambani, and the two parties had
"ganged up" against AAP after it filed an First
Information Report against Ambani.[55] In March, the party
declared that it would seek re-election.[56]
General election, 2014
The party fielded 434 candidates in the 2014
Indian general election, in which it did not expect to do well. It
recognised that its support was based primarily in urban areas and that
different strategies might be required for regions such as Uttar Pradesh where caste-based politics are the norm. The party pointed out that
its funding was limited and that there were too many demands for local visits
from Kejriwal. The intention was to field a lot of candidates to maximise the
likelihood that it could achieve official recognition by the ECI as a national
party.[57][58] The outcome was that four
AAP candidates were elected, all of whom were from Punjab.[59] As a result of the
performance in these elections, AAP became a recognized state party in Punjab.[60] The party obtained 2% of
all votes cast and 414 of its candidates forfeited their deposit by failing to secure
one-sixth of the vote in their constituencies.[61] Although the party secured
32.9 per cent of the votes in Delhi, it failed to win any seats there.[62]
Immediately after elections, Shazia Ilmi (a founder and PAC member)
resigned from party, alleging that the party was being run by a coterie and
lacked internal democracy.[63][64]
The criticism of Arvind Kejriwal's style of
leadership continued with National Executive member Yogendra Yadav's writing a
letter to his party members, charging his party members to be "falling
prey to personality cult”.[65] He said:
“Let me reiterate that Arvind bhai is no
ordinary leader and there are no two opinions about his continuing as the
national convener; nor have I ever doubted his status as first among equals
within the party’s leadership. The real question is whether there are limits to
personal discretion of the leader.”
After the National Executive meet on 8 June,
party and Arvind Kejriwal acknowledged these differences and announced launch
of "Mission Vistar" (Mission Expand) to include more people in local
as well as national decision making.[66]
Vote Share of different
parties in the election.
Aam Aadmi Party (53.4%)
INLD (0.6%)
IND (0.5%)
Other (1.4%)
Delhi Assembly election, 2015
The Delhi state assembly elections for the Sixth Legislative Assembly of Delhi were held on 7 February
2015 as declared by Election
Commission of India.[67] The Aam Aadmi Party scored
a landslide victory by winning 67 of the 70 seats. The BJP was able to win only
three seats and the Congress party drew a blank, with all its candidates
defeated. Arvind Kejriwal became the Chief Minister for the second time.[68]AAP had started campaigning in Delhi right
from November 2014 and declared candidates for all 70 seats inducting new faces
for as many as 27 candidates.[69] AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal was the chief minister
candidate and successfully contested elections from the New Delhi seat again.[70] Other known names and
prominent faces in their candidate list are Jarnail Singh, Surinder Singh
(commando), Ex Transport Minister for Delhi Saurabh Bhardwaj, Ex Education
Minister Manish Sisodia, Ex Law minister Somnath Bharti who came into limelight
for controversy and confrontation with Police.[71] The party said that its
candidates were honest and had been screened for potential criminal
backgrounds.
Arvind Kejriwal had declared the election as
a straight fight between AAP and the Bharatiya
Janata Party because Indian
National Congressseems to have lost its presence.[72] BJP has declared former IPS
officer and India
Against Corruption activist Kiran Bedi as its chief ministerial
candidate [73] who, according to Shanti Bhushan, one of the founding
members of Aam Aadmi Party, is the biggest challenge for Arvind Kejriwal.[74]
Kejriwal's statement "Paise lekar sting
kar lo" created controversies by asking volunteers to take bribes from
other parties and do a sting. Kejriwal claimed that BJP had been trying to
bribe AAP volunteers.[75] The situation rose The Election
Commission of India, which issued notice to Kejriwal to desist from
breaking the laws governing the model code of conduct for elections in India.[76] The Delhi court finally
allowed Kejriwal to put forth his plea on the matter.[77]
AAP released its "70-point Action
Plan" manifesto on 31 January 2015, a week before the election.[78] The party secured an
absolute majority in the assembly, winning 67 of the 70 seats; its chief
opponent, the Bhartiya Janta
Party, won 3 seats and the Indian
National Congress won none.[6] The rule of Delhi by
central government was subsequently rescinded and Arvind Kejriwal became Chief
Minister of Delhi with six Cabinet Ministers (Manish Sisodia, Asim Ahmed Khan, Sandeep
Kumar,Satyendar Jain, Gopal Rai and Jitender Singh
Tomar)[79][80]
Major differences surfaced within the party
leadership soon after the party's thumping victory in the Delhi Assembly
Elections of 2015. It created deep fissures between the founding members who
were together in the party since its pre inception days when they had unitedly
championed the India Against corruption movement. The entire episode first
began in February 2015 when Yogendra Yadav and Prashanth Bhushan wrote a joint
letter to National Executive highlighting Aravind Kejriwals unilateral decision
making approach which they alleged had compromised the party's core principles
of Swaraj.[81] Issues like lack of inner
party democracy and gender inequalities were brought out in the letter.[82] After continued
allegations, counter allegations and several failed attempts of reconciliation
between the two sides, Yogendra Yadav and Prashanth Bhushan were first removed
from PAC and later from the national executive after the partys national council
passed a resolution to expel them for their alleged anti-party activities.[83][84][85] Yadav and Bhushan accused
the party for murdering the democracy and resorting to intimidation and
hooliganism at the meeting.[86][87] However Kejriwal and party
leaders refuted the charges made by Yadav and Bhushan.Eventually in April 2015
Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan, Anand Kumar and Ajit Jha were removed from
the party.[88]
No comments:
Post a Comment