With an appeal to defeat the BJP in the Lok Sabha election, Aam Aadmi Party’s candidate from South Delhi, Raghav Chadha, was endorsed by actors Prakash Raj and Gul Panag, and student leaders of Jawaharlal Nehru University at a public meeting on Tuesday.

Those present attacked the BJP government on issues of unemployment, breakdown of institutions, and lack of quality education among other issues. JNU Students’ Union president N. Balaji maintained that the student groups held political differences with the Aam Aadmi Party as it should be in a democracy and would continue to debate with them. However, to ‘defeat fascism’, save the democracy and the Constitution, it was important to vote for whoever can defeat the BJP.

All India Students’ Association president Kawalpreet Kaur said that all the people who had gotten out on the streets to protest various issues in the last five years would make sure that the BJP would be defeated.

Mr. Raj who is also contesting as an Independent candidate from the Bangalore Central constituency said that he aligned with the Aam Aadmi Party’s views, especially on education.

He also stressed that the current election was about representation of individual constituencies and not a presidential election, and accordingly it was important to vote for those people who were aware about the local issues, he said.

Foundational issues

Actress Gul Panag while endorsing Mr. Chadha said that equitable access to healthcare and education should be the primary concerns of a government and while developments in space technology were commendable, it was important to remember foundational issues.

Mr. Chadha appealed to the public seeking votes, saying his party had worked on many basic necessities like provision of water to different parts of Delhi and had made strides in education.

“Hum vote Ram ke naam nahi maang rahein hain, ham kaam ke naam pe mang rahein hai [We aren’t asking for votes in the name of Ram, we are asking for votes in the name of work done by us], ” he said.