Exclusive: As former top cop dons political hat, AAP eyes for a Punjab repeat in Karnataka

Bengaluru, Apr 4: AAP Convenor Prithvi Reddy says that the rising Karnataka unit of AAP has got a big boost after former Additional Director General of Police (Railways) B Bhaskar Rao joined the party in New Delhi on Monday.

Speaking to Oneindia, Reddy said that the former cop had won the people's love and trust during his stint as a cop in Bengaluru. "More than police commissioner, he was people's commissioner. During the time of the COVID pandemic and the government was completely absent, he ably led the police force to provide the much-needed relief to the people,"

The AAP Convenor states that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has built a model for the country and the AAP now needs people across the country who have won people's trust and love.

"Bhaskar Rao is one such person. He will definitely add a lot of strength to our goal of offering people an alternative in Karnataka," he adds.

On asking whether Bhaskar Rao will be made the Chief Minister face of the state, Prithvi Reddy said the party will take the call at an appropriate time.

"Right now, it is time for us to reach out Kannadigas with the message of people's revolution and the party will take the decision on the CM face at the appropriate time. Our immediate focus is to grow and not worry about the CM face or who the minister will be. Currently, we are looking to bring political change to Karnataka," he adds.

When asked whether AAP can replicate its Punjab performance in Karnataka, Reddy said, "Definitely, there is no reason why it cannot happen. All these days we only had the Delhi model. By the time, Karnataka goes to polls, we have two models (Delhi and Punjab),"

Interestingly, Reddy says that the AAP does not see either the ruling BJP or Congress as the bigger challenge to it in the 2023 elections. "We are not looking to offer an alternative to either BJP or Congress. What we offer is the pro-people model which neither of them has. Our competition is not BJP or congress. We are looking to provide political alternative and not alternative to a political party," he ends.

Bhaskar Rao, who was an IPS officer from the 1990 batch and served as Police Commissioner of Bengaluru between 2019 and 2020, joined the AAP in the presence of Kejriwal on Monday. He is likely to contest the next assembly elections from the Basavanagudi constituency.