Arvind Kejriwal launches 'national mission', to travel across country to rally people's support

New Delhi: With an eye on 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday formally unveiled his Aam Aadmi Party's national ambition with the launch of ‘Make India No 1’ campaign, saying the country cannot be left to those who have been ruling till now if it has to be developed.

At an event organised at Talkatora stadium here, he proposed a five-point vision for good governance and said he would travel across the country to rally support for the cause.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor termed the campaign a “national mission” and appealed to the masses to join it to realise the long-cherished dream of India becoming the best in the world and figuring in the list of the developed countries.

He said those from the BJP, Congress and any other political party can also join it as it is apolitical in nature, even as he blamed the parties in power, without taking names, for the slow progress of India since Independence.

In the past 75 years, they did nothing other than filling their homes and that of their friends with wealth, he charged.

“If we leave this country with these parties and leaders, we will go back by another seventy-five years. Some of them (leaders) live for their family while others for friends. Someone has to indulge in corruption while some others have to plunder the country,” he said.

In his address, Kejriwal said to make India number one in the world, public funds will have to be utilised in ensuring free and quality education for every child, free and good medical treatment for every citizen, employment for youth, equal rights and dignity to women and fair price to farmers for their produce.

Riding high on its stupendous victory in Punjab polls, the AAP has reorganised and activated its units in most of the states seeking to expand its foothold.

The party, which has launched a membership drive across the country, is preparing to contest the assembly elections to be held in the next two years, with a focus on the upcoming polls in BJP-ruled Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.

Though the AAP failed to make an impact in Goa, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarkhand in the last round of assembly polls, it has been projecting itself as the next principal opponent to the BJP in many states after the weakening of the Congress.

The AAP national convenor said he will travel across the country as part of the mission -- 'Make India No. 1' -- to encourage people to join the initiative and contribute in realising its objectives.

“To make India number one in the world, the first thing that we have to do is provide free and quality education to every child of this country. We will have to open schools in every nook and corner of this country to ensure no child is left without education,” he said.

After getting educated, every child would make their family rich from poor and then India will be listed in the list of rich countries, he added.

To make India number one in the world objective, the second measure that we will have to take is to provide free and best medical treatment along with free medicines and test facilities to every citizen of the country, he said.

“Third, we will have to provide employment to every youth which is possible with the right intention and management. Fourth, every woman should get respect, equal rights and security. Fifth, we will have to ensure farmers get fair prices for their produce and get respect so that children can say with pride that they also want to become farmers,” Kejriwal added.

“I appeal to 130 people of this country to join this national mission and make India number one,” he added.

Kejriwal said India achieved many milestones in the last 75 years since Independence, but many countries like Singapore, which got independence after India, managed to leave India behind in terms of development.

“Why are we still lagging despite Indians being the most intelligent and hardworking people in the world? He asked, adding, “God has given everything to India– rivers, mountains, herbs, crops, sea, yet we are lagging behind others,” Kejriwal said India can lead the world but it is possible when 130 crore people of this country come together and join the ’Make India No 1’ national mission.

"This is not the mission of a political party, it's a national mission. Hence, I call upon those from the BJP, Congress and all other parties to come forward and join this initiative to make India the number one country in the world," Kejriwal said.

In BJP-ruled Gujarat, the Kejriwal-led party is hoping to win a sizeable number of seats as the Congress appears to be in disarray and AAP sources claimed they have developed a strong base in the state, especially Saurashtra region.