Yogendra Yadav at a press conference in Panchkula. (Express Photo by Jasbir Malhi/File)Swaraj India President Yogendra Yadav Sunday said his party will not be part of any mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) of opposition parties in the 2019 elections. Instead, he launched the Indian Citizens Action for Nation 2019 (iCan19) campaign, whereby common citizens would have a role in selecting candidates for the polls.
“We won’t be part of any mahagathbandhan for the 2019 elections. Power is not the aim of our politics. We want to teach a lesson to those spoilt by power,” Yadav said.
On iCan19, he said, “Millions are willing to rise above their self-interest and do something constructive for society. There are lakhs of dedicated volunteers who hold the interest of the nation and the world above their caste and religion. There are thinkers pondering over the future without worrying about the present. There is no ideology that can match up to their dreams.”
The campaign’s tagline reads “Hindu na Musalman, Bas Kisan-Naujawan”.
However, Yadav said it was not restricted to just Swaraj India candidates: “People do politics in the name of serving the nation; we shall serve the nation in the name of politics. We are introducing #iCan19, but we don’t want to control it. This is not a platform to support Swaraj India’s candidates.”
“Citizens who join the #iCan19 campaign will choose the country’s main issues and their solutions, forge nation-wide public opinion on these issues and, in some selected seats, will campaign for candidates who will be the carriers for these issues and solutions,” he added.
