The Aam Aadmi Party and Twenty20 have announced their decision to form a political alliance in Kerala.
The decision, which the two parties believe may alter the traditional political equations in the southern state, was announced by AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
He announced the crucial move at a public event in Kizhakkambalam, the headquarters of the Twenty20 in the suburbs of Kochi, on Sunday.
“Today I'm very happy to announce that AAP and Twenty20 are going to form an alliance in Kerala. Kerala wants change. First, we brought changes to Delhi and then to Punjab. Next, we will change Kerala,” he said.
Kejriwal was addressing a gathering of the supporters of both the parties on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of Twenty20, the political party supported by the corporate Kitex Group.
“This is not an alliance of AAP and Twenty20 alone. This is an alliance of the four crore people of Kerala. Now there will be four political fronts in Kerala – LDF, UDF, NDA and ours which is named 'People's Welfare Alliance (PWA),” he said.
Addressing the crowd in Hindi, Kejriwal said, “God loves Kerala, God has given Kerala everything”.
“Ten years ago, nobody knew Arvind Kejriwal or AAP. Within a year, we formed a government in Delhi. Magic! People say Kejriwal did it. Kejriwal didn't do it. The almighty did it. We went on to form government in Delhi thrice. Now we have formed in Punjab too. If it's possible, why can't we do it in Kerala,” Kejriwal asked.
“As long as we remain truthful and honest, God will be with us,” he said.
Kejriwal listed out the achievements of his government in Delhi such as curbing corruption, providing free electricity and running mohalla clinics, and asked whether Kerala wanted to enjoy such benefits or not. “Doesn't Kerala want free electricity? It's possible in Kerala also. All that takes to make it possible is an honest government,” he said.
Kejriwal showered praises on Twenty20 party president Sabu M Jacob. The Delhi CM said he knew very well that just like him, Sabu also formed his party not to play politics but for the welfare of the people.
Addressing the gathering Jacob was highly critical of the Left Democratic Front government led by Pinarayi Vijayan, and especially his ambitious K-Rail SilverLine project.
Mentioning the losses incurred by the Kerala Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and Kochi Metro, Jacob said a government that cannot run these entities without losses was claiming to make the Rs 65,000 crore semi high-speed rail corridor.
Jacob said the poor have remained the poor despite successive governments coming to power in Kerala. However, soon it became evident that his real target was the Pinarayi Vijayan government.
“During the first Pinarayi government's term, nearly 32 (political) murders took place. During the first year of his second term, 11 political murders have taken place. In the past four months, seven were murdered, including our Deepu,” he said. Deepu, a Twenty20 activist, was murdered by alleged CPM members when he was participating in a lights-off strike against the LDF government.
Pointing out the economic crisis and mounting debts of the state, Jacob said the situation in Kerala will become worse than that of Sri Lanka if the debts keep increasing.
The AAP-Twenty20 alliance has been formed at a time when the campaigning for the bypoll in the Thrikkakara assembly constituency is progressing. Though Jacob had earlier announced that the two parties will contest the bypoll in alliance, both the parties backed off the move later saying they wanted to focus on a bigger political picture.
Twenty20, which was formed in Kizhakkamabalm panchayat in 2012, now rules four panchayats in Ernakulam district. It had contested eight assembly seats in the district in 2021 and polled 14 percent of votes. The AAP's Kerala unit which has been inactive for years due to internal squabbles has found a renewed energy with the party's stunning victory in the Punjab elections earlier this year. AAP state convener and former IAS officer P C Cyriac also attended the event on Sunday.
