AAP's challenges and contradictions as it gets a national party tag

“Unimaginable!” beamed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal. “It is as if it was just yesterday, 10-and-a-half years ago, that we formed our party. At that time, no one even thought that the party would get one MLA. And today, in ten years, AAP has become a national party.”

He went on: “There are 1,300 political parties in India. Of them, there are only six national parties; and of them, there are only three that have governments in one or more states. AAP is one of the three.”

He addressed the imprisonment of Manish Sisodia and Satyendra Jain, two ministers in Delhi in jail on charges of corruption, and said their only crime was that they encouraged the poorest in Delhi to dream big. “I’m just coming from a school in East Vinod Nagar. French is taught there, so is German, Spanish, Japanese… and it is a government school. This was Manish’s contribution. And they’ve put him in jail. Jainsaab believed the best quality of healthcare should be available to everyone. He’s in jail. All of you, be prepared. They’re getting ready to put everyone from among you in prison. Are you ready?” he asked. The crowd roared “yes”.

The whole programme was a joyous celebration, albeit low key. It was a party function – ministers and the Punjab chief minister were not on the dais. It lasted just 30 minutes.

For AAP, getting national status matters. It matters a lot. It is not about the perks – of which there are only a few. It will now be allowed to retain a single and permanent election symbol across all states, will get free campaign slots on national broadcasters during elections, and will have the right to a party office in New Delhi. But the national party recognition by the Election Commission of India (ECI) is for AAP, a political statement: “Uparwala (God) has a grand plan. He wants us to fight to save our country” said Kejriwal.

If this is rhetoric, many have bought it.

AAP has a ruling majority in two states – Delhi and Punjab. It got 6.77 per cent of the total votes polled in the Goa Legislative Assembly elections held in March last year. The Gujarat assembly election held in December last year, where it got 13 per cent of the vote, facilitated its claim as a national party. So now, among India’s national parties, there’s BJP, Congress – and AAP.

PDT Achary, former secretary general of the Lok Sabha, explains, “A party gets to become a national party if it secures 6 per cent of valid votes polled in any four or more states at a general election to the Lok Sabha or to the Legislative Assembly; and, in addition, it wins four seats in the Lok Sabha from any state or states; if it wins 2 per cent (11) of the seats in the Lok Sabha at a general election, and these candidates are elected from three states; or if it is recognised as a state party in four states.”

National status for AAP means a party pitching itself as an institution representing the subaltern. It has now got a seat at the high table. It is convinced that this is because it is doing something right, and proposes to go on doing it.

AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh says, “Everyone desires quality education and health. We have ensured this in Delhi without getting into the age-old, degraded debates on Hindu-Muslim or caste.” AAP, he adds, is the only party that talks about these issues and will continue to do so in the coming elections. “The BJP is at a loss as to how to counter us on these issues.”

But being a national party, AAP will now have to address other issues on which it has so far not vouchsafed an opinion. It got 13 per cent of the vote share in Gujarat: an amazing feat, without question. But it is yet to explain to voters how it sees the role of the Gujarat government in the remission given to those convicted of the rape of Bilkis Bano. Party leader Gopal Italia said it was reprehensible but Sisodia brushed it aside, saying the party was more concerned about issues of development.

In his speech, Kejriwal said: “Our ideology has three pillars: kattar deshbhakti (patriotism), kattar imandari (honesty) and kattar insaniyat (humanity)... What about other parties? One party’s ideology is thuggery, abusing people and misbehaviour with women. All thugs are sheltered in that party. The other party’s ideology is corruption.”

But responding to the new responsibility of being a national party, MP Sanjay Singh has attended all opposition meetings called by the Congress. The party could find it challenging to resolve this contradiction.