Mangalore, Feb 14: The Dakshina Kannada district unit of Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was officially launched at a public meeting in Kadri Park here on Friday.
The party's monthly newsletter was released on the occasion by renowned political analyst Prof Yogendra Yadav who is also the national executive member of the party.
Delivering the key-note address on the occasion, Prof Yogendra Yadav said that entering into politics was the logical culmination to the struggle against corruption that gripped the nation with Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement. The spirit of India that had awakened and come alive on the streets came up against the wall of 'system'. Giving up or walking away would have destroyed the spirit of people who had come forward, fought and suffered for no personal gains of their own, and that would have only reinforced the feeling of defeat, he said.
Talking of instilling change, he said that over 50 per cent of Class 5 students in rural India are unable to read an entire paragraph of text in their own mother tongue. “Politics is about hope and belief; it is the only way to bring any major change in the society. Unless we are willing to take on the political system, things will not change,” he said.
He said that the party was here not to provide an alternative in elections, but to provide an alternative kind of political system. “The situation has come to a low, but change will come. We can change the rules of the game,” he said, emphasizing that the party would not contest in the upcoming State Assembly elections.
Lecture on 'Democratic Reforms and Politics'
Earlier in the day, delivering a guest lecture on 'Democratic Reforms and Politics', Prof Yadav said that not wanting to be involved in politics was the dominant mood in the country. As a nation, we participate in politics in an unconcerned and non-attached way. Politics is an activity which involves power, and a democracy cannot exist without politics and exercise of power. It is the central virtue around which the structural society is centerd and that is why the wisest, most intelligent and moral people have to be drawn to politics. In a democracy, doing politics is not an option; either we control politics or it controls us. The most ethical thing is to do our politics ourselves, he said.
In the interaction that followed, he said that what was required of a politician was an understanding of the pulse of the people and have a 'connect' with them.
Speaking about the role of media in the portrayal of politics, he said, “Today, big media is controlled by corporate houses. In a democracy it is also important to bring transparency in media and keeping it in check. One of the worst kinds of practice in our country is that advertisements are printed as news (paid news). Newspapers are given money to print favourable news, and that needs to be exposed,” he said.
To a query questioning the lack of more youngsters in the arena of politics, he said, “Avenues for entering into politics in India are severely increasing, making it increasingly difficult for youth to enter this field.”
The team of Prof Yadav, Karnataka state convenor Prithvi Reddy, Mysore division convenors Chandrakanth and Pramod Karkera visited the city as part of the party's 'Mission Buniyad' to strengthen party units at grass-root levels throughout the country.
Convenor of the district unit Robert Rosario, joint convenor S Nandagopal, and secretary Rohan were present.
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