AAP can become a major force in India, says Amartya Sen

Commending the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) successful electoral debut in Delhi elections, Nobel Laurette Amartya Sen today said that the Arvind Kejriwal-led party can become a major force in India.
"I think how much can you expect from a party immediately. Do I expect AAP to learn from experience? Yes, I do. Can it become a major force in India? I think it can. It has to move a fair distance in terms of policy priority and I hope they will think about that," Sen told CNBC TV 18.
The noted economist said that AAP's strategy and success in the Delhi elections is a major achievement.

When asked whether AAP represents the common man, he said: "I think in a sense they are. AAP's arrival in India politics must be a major achievement and it has done better that I thought it might and I am happy about it.
"Because being able to win electoral support massively as in Delhi on the basis of a programme which is about equity, even though their understanding of equity maybe somewhat distorted."
He further said: "But, I felt that was what they were trying to do and lack of corruption. To win it without appeal to communal division, caste division is a major achievement. So I salute AAP's electoral strategy and success."

Sen said AAP has to identify the common man in the country and then design its policies.
"In terms of making policy, they have to identify who the aam aadmi are. ... If you are looking for the poorest of the poor, they are not asking for cheaper electricity, because they do not have electricity. They are not asking for cheaper LPG, they don't have a cylinder," he said.