Eminent thinker and writer Dr Rajmohan Gandhi officially joined the Aam Aadmi Party on Friday. A supporter of the AAP for past few months, Rajmohan Gandhi is expected to get an AAP ticket in the Lok Sabha polls to contest from one of the seven seats in Delhi.
The 78-year-old academic, who also counts India’s last Governor-General and statesman C Rajagopalachari as his maternal grandfather, did not rule out the possibility of contesting against Narendra Modi, saying on Friday that he would talk to his party over such a matter. A senior leader said AAP was in favour of pitting Gandhi opposed to Modi even as the party had first approached another grandson of Gandhi and former governor, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, for this purpose.
“This is a people’s party. I was drawn to it because I felt there was something genuinely new and fresh about it,” Gandhi said. “I joined the party looking at the enthusiasm. The party has grown from the roots. It does not see politics as dirty and something that should be avoided.” Reportedly, AAP is trying to get Rajmohan Gandhi contest in opposition to Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha polls due by May.
Rajmohan said, “The Congress was an aam aadmi party, but has become a khaas aadmi party whereas BJP is the rich man’s party” and I don’t agree with the BJP’s communal politics.” He further said the AAP’s anti-corruption movement was a successor to the Mahatma Gandhi-led freedom movement.
“If Modi fights Lok Sabha elections, then AAP would like Rajmohan Gandhi to contest against him,” said the leader, who did not wish to be identified. AAP has not heard back from Gopalkrishna Gandhi since the party approached him.
Rajmohan was an important leader of the Janata Dal in the early 90s. He had unsuccessfully contested against former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi from Amethi in 1989. In 1991, he had lost to Arvind Trivedi from Sabarkantha.
He is the son of Mahatma Gandhi’s youngest son, Devdas. C Rajagopalachari, freedom fighter and the last governor-general of India, was his maternal grandfather.