NEW DELHI, May 21 — Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday relaunched the party’s student wing under a new name—Association of Students for Alternative Politics (ASAP)—and called on students to become the driving force behind a national political shift.
“This is not just a student organisation. It’s a launchpad for a generation that will redefine politics and work for the country,” Kejriwal said, addressing a crowd at the Constitution Club.
The relaunch event saw the presence of several senior AAP leaders, including Punjab in-charge Manish Sisodia, Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj, national media in-charge Anurag Dhanda, MP Gurmeet Singh, and Kharar MLA Anmol Gagan Mann. The party also unveiled a new logo for ASAP at the event.
Positioning AAP’s governance in Delhi and Punjab as a model, Kejriwal said these examples offer a working blueprint of “alternative politics.” He pointed to the party’s focus on education and healthcare as a contrast to what he described as the priorities of mainstream political forces.
“In Delhi, for ten years, and now in Punjab, we’ve demonstrated what alternative politics looks like. We believe in good schools and quality healthcare for all. But those aligned with the mainstream don’t share that belief,” Kejriwal said.
He also took aim at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of undermining the capital’s public services since taking control of Delhi earlier this year.
“It’s been just three months since the BJP took over, and they’ve started dismantling our government schools. The Schools of Specialised Excellence—our best schools—are being destroyed,” Kejriwal alleged. “That’s because quality schools have no place in their version of politics.”
On the power supply front, he drew a direct comparison between his administration’s performance and the current situation. “During our 10-year rule in Delhi, we ensured 24×7 electricity. That’s alternative politics. But now, with the BJP at the helm, people are facing power cuts lasting three to four hours,” he said.
Former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and other AAP leaders also spoke at the event, urging students to join ASAP and participate in what they termed a movement to reclaim democratic and welfare-oriented governance.
The restructured student wing, now under the ASAP banner, aims to function as a nationwide platform for student engagement in politics with an emphasis on social equity, public welfare, and institutional accountability.
