Delhi: Kejri launches AAP’s student wing ASAP to promote alternative politics
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday launched the party’s student wing — the Association of Students for Alternative Politics (ASAP) — presenting it as a platform to empower youth and reshape India’s political discourse.
Addressing students from across the country at the Constitution Club, Kejriwal said, “ASAP is not just a student organisation, it’s a movement to redefine politics in India. Over the past 75 years, mainstream politics is the root cause of the country’s problems — from crumbling education and healthcare to rampant unemployment.”
Kejriwal said ASAP would focus not merely on student elections but on building cultural and social forums in schools and colleges to engage young people through discussion and community action.
“Elections happen in just 5 per cent of colleges. We want to connect the rest through creativity, civic work and ideological awareness,” he added.
AAP leaders Manish Sisodia, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Anurag Dhanda, Gurmeet Singh, Anmol Gagan Maan, Awadh Ojha and Janarail Singh were also present at the event, which featured the unveiling of the wing’s official logo.
Kejriwal said the student wing would champion the AAP’s model of alternative politics — one that prioritises education, healthcare and equity — as opposed to the “mainstream politics of corruption, communalism and corporate control” practiced by the Congress and the BJP.
He accused both the parties of deepening social divides for political gain. “While the world is moving towards Artificial Intelligence, our mainstream politicians are busy dividing children along Hindu-Muslim lines. Their children study abroad; our children are handed sticks to spread hate,” he said.
Referring to Delhi’s education reforms, Kejriwal said the AAP “dismantled the education mafia” during its decade-long tenure in the Capital and created high-quality public schools that stopped private schools from hiking fees. “In just three months of BJP rule in the MCD, private schools are back to raising fees, hiring bouncers to bar children from classes — that’s mainstream politics,” he said.
Senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia said ASAP would become the “face, mind, and voice” of education reform across India. “There are 8 crore college students in India. We need a student platform that represents their dreams and demands, not just a few union elections,” he said.
Calling education the AAP’s core strength, Sisodia said ASAP would push for the adoption of global learning methods and push back against outdated curricula. “Let’s bring research from California to classrooms in Gujarat and Punjab. ASAP will lead this movement,” he said.
