Soft-spoken and mild-mannered, 57-year-old Prashanth Bhushan, a Delhi-based lawyer and human-rights activist deeply interested in Philosophy and Economics, has been instrumental in Arvind Kejriwal launching the Aam Aadmi Party after the split from Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement. A dropout of IIT-Madras and Princeton University, Bhushan studied law and was later known for his public interest litigation for probity in public life, as well as environmental and human rights issues. In a telephonic interview, Bhushan tells KPM Basheer about the future of the AAP and the post-poll scenario.

Why is the AAP obsessed with Reliance and the Ambanis?

Because they symbolise the depth of crony capitalism, corruption, bribery and corporate misdeeds that have plagued the country. Most political parties are their servants. They have corrupted all parties, irrespective of those in the NDA or the UPA. It is their writ that runs in the country. They are calling all the shots. They run the country directly and indirectly.

Kejriwal recently shot off a letter to Narendra Modi asking if he would bring down the gas price if he becomes PM. The outcome?

Modi and BJP are still silent on the question. Because they are complicit with the Ambanis (in jacking up gas prices). Most political parties are silent on this. Except perhaps for CPI’s Gurudas Das Gupta. He has frequently raised the gas price question in Parliament.

In a post-poll scenario where the AAP gets 10-20 seats, what will it do? And, in case of a hung Parliament, where neither the UPA nor the NDA gets an absolute majority, will you support UPA?

No, we will not support the UPA. We will be a strong force with a strong voice in Parliament and raise our voice for the country’s aam admi. We will be an independent voice for the common people. We will raise our voice against gas priceand other major issues that affect the people.

AAP doesn’t have an organisational structure as yet; it is still more of a movement than a political party. Do you think this lack of organisational structure is a handicap?

It is true that we don’t have a strong organisational structure. There is no well-oiled machinery-like organisation. We are a volunteer-based party and these totally-committed volunteers are our strength. People’s goodwill drives us.

We were forced to become a political party because of the circumstances and people’s demand. Otherwise, we would have remained a movement working for structural changes in India’s social and political life. But now we are a political party, a truly national political party. But we are also an unconventional political party in that we are not there to capture power. We are in politics to make structural changes.

Well, this lack of organisational structure is a handicap. We will look at it after the elections.

Which States do you expect to win more seats?

Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Maharashtra…why, we can win even in Karnataka and Kerala.

A lot of people feel that AAP should have stayed on in Delhi for some time more, and run a clean administrationwith the support extended by the Congress. By quitting the Delhi Government, the AAP lost a big chance to clean up at least a part of the system. Your take?

They (Congress) wouldn’t let us get the Jan Lok Pal Bill passed which was very crucial for us. Moreover, we wanted to contest the Lok Sabha election. A lot of people wanted the AAP to contest the election. This is because they believe we represent the only hope for the country. We are the hope of the country.

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