On party’s foundation day, Kejriwal says AAP stands strong despite attempts to silence it

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said that the AAP has “reshaped Indian politics” through its model of governance, adding that the party stands strong despite the “political obituaries” written every six months.
Kejriwal was speaking at a gathering at the party headquarters to observe the AAP’s foundation day.
He said, “The AAP has played an important role in reshaping Indian politics through the Delhi model, which prioritises ease for common people, infrastructure development, and maintaining a budget surplus without deficits. It is the party’s greatest contribution. The AAP stands strong even after its key leaders were jailed and relentless political obituaries” predicting AAP’s downfall were written.”
The former Delhi chief minister said that the AAP was founded on Constitution Day, and the party will be needed whenever the Constitution is in danger.
“God chose Constitution Day to give birth to the AAP. He must have thought that the Constitution is in danger and a party is needed to protect it… The party is for the common people, as its name suggests. Its symbol is a broom, and it is our responsibility to wield this broom to clean the country… I believe AAP’s biggest achievement is giving this country a new model of governance,” he said.
Kejriwal said the AAP gave a governance model to the country which prioritises improving the lives of the common people through schemes such as free electricity, water, and good education for children, and also develops the city’s infrastructure.
“When our government was formed, Delhi had 200km of Metro lines. Today, it has 450 km. We’ve built 10,000km of roads. In 65 years, only 62 flyovers were constructed, but in just nine years, we have built 38 new ones,” he claimed. ‘
Kejriwal also spoke about the challenges faced by the AAP and its top leadership.
“Every six months, people claim the AAP is finished, but we’re still here. When Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, and Sanjay Singh were jailed, they said the AAP would collapse. Yet, here we are, standing strong, we have gone nowhere,” he said.
The AAP chief said that after his party came to power in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), it has ensured that sanitation workers get salaries on time, and has regularised the employment of more than 8,000 workers.
“I’m inviting all sanitation workers in my area to my home tomorrow for tea. From the day after, all MLAs should call groups of 100-150 workers to their homes over three to four sessions. Spend time with them, get to know them, understand their issues,” he said.
Speaking at the event, chief minister Atishi said that after the AAP came to power in the Capital, the BJP-led Centre, through a notification, stripped the elected Delhi government of its powers, but the government continued to work for welfare of the people.
“In 2020, people said the AAP was finished, but the elections were won based on our work. Once again, every AAP worker must show that no one can suppress us,” she said.
The BJP did not comment on the allegations made by Kejriwal.