AAP to join PM’s ‘symbolic’ cleanliness drive

NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said it would join the BJP’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan on October 2 but advised the saffron party to rise above “symbolism”.

AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal tweeted: “AAP will join Swachh Bharat Abhiyan on 2 Oct. But condition of safai karamcharis ought to be improved if we want a clean India.” Since the broom is AAP’s election symbol, party leaders feel the BJP will hijack its poll plank through this move.

Responding to urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu’s call to participate in the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Kejriwal dismissed the cleanliness drive as being merely “symbolic”. In a September 23 letter addressed to Kejriwal, Naidu had appealed to AAP to “actively contribute in this Clean India drive and ensure people’s participation in full.”

In response, the AAP chief said that while his party workers were already involved in cleanliness activities, “we cannot make India clean by such actions”.

“We have heard that the prime minister will pick up the broom on October 2 at Valmiki Sadan. It is good, though it is merely symbolic.

Such a symbolic gesture may inspire people, but it is not enough to make the country clean,” Kejriwal’s wrote back.

The September 30 letter was made public, along with Naidu’s communication, on Tuesday.

The BJP’s Delhi Pradesh president Satish Upadhyay said Kejriwal’s response had exposed the latter’s political frustration.