Hreald: Today, Aam Aadmi Party has launched the Oximitra campaign in Goa. Why was that needed and what are your plans?
ARVIND KEJRIWAL: I am so happy that Aam Admi Party (AAP) Goa is starting this very important campaign along with many Goans. Actually, in the last few weeks, many people in Goa, who are concerned about the rising cases and increasing deaths in Goa, have been approaching AAP Goa that the citizens ought to be doing something. Therefore, AAP Goa has designed this campaign along with the people of Goa. It will be run by the people and AAP Goa.
With corona, it is seen that the oxygen levels in some people go down and they don’t realize it. Suddenly, they collapse and die. I am told that in this campaign, AAP volunteers will go to each house in Goa and check everyone’s oxygen levels. If someone’s oxygen levels are low, they will be advised to go to the hospital. The purpose of this campaign is to save as many lives as possible.
Hreald: From being a coronavirus capital to a model State in the fight against COVID-19 - Delhi has seen it all. Even the Prime Minister today asks other States to implement the Delhi Model. What is the Delhi Model?
KEJRIWAL: Till the end of May, the situation in Delhi was under control. We had anticipated a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases with the opening of the lockdown in Delhi, but the surge turned out to be more than expected. That’s when the entire city and its two crore people came together to bring coronavirus under control, in what is now popularly called the Delhi Model. There are three key principles that constitute the Delhi Model.
The first principle is teamwork. The government cannot fight the pandemic without the support from various stakeholders. So we reached out to everyone and asked for their cooperation. We reached out to the Central government, various non-governmental organizations, resident welfare associations, health workers and of course the two crore people of Delhi. Everyone came together to fight COVID-19, successfully.
The second principle was acknowledging, appreciating and encouraging constructive criticism from stakeholders. And responding to these by working towards fixing the problems.
The third principle is that no matter how bad the situation gets, you as a government cannot give up – because if you give up, then you cannot imagine the number of deaths that it will lead to.
In terms of specific actions too, we pioneered many interventions like home isolation, a dedicated Corona app giving real time availability of Covid beds and ventilators and Plasma therapy; all of which, were critical to deal with the surge in cases. In fact, Delhi’s home isolation model is a global case study today. It has proven to be extremely successful in treating patients with mild symptoms, which in turn freed up hospital beds for critical patients.
Hreald: Cases have been rising steadily in Goa. Many people say that some cities are beginning to see the first wave, which was seen in Delhi and Mumbai a few months ago? What do we need to do on priority?
KEJRIWAL: Every State is facing unique challenges and we must learn from each other’s experiences, just like Delhi learnt from others. Many States earlier had the policy of forcibly quarantining every Covid positive patient in a government facility, irrespective of their symptoms. Now, many States have adopted Delhi’s Home Isolation model of treatment for mild patients. Aggressive testing and isolation is another important lesson. That’s the only way to break the chain of infection.
Hreald: You have said that Delhi’s Home Isolation programme is a global case study. What is this programme and why is it so important in the fight against Corona?
KEJRIWAL: Home isolation was the cornerstone of Delhi’s COVID turnaround. We studied what was going wrong in Italy, Spain, New York, etc. There they would take every COVID patient, whether mild or severe to hospitals and quarantine facilities. So when patients that actually needed critical care reached hospitals there was no space for them. With public awareness campaigns, we instilled confidence amongst the people that they can recover without getting admitted to hospitals.
Hreald: You have pioneered plasma therapy in Delhi. In Goa, it is just taking off. What do you want to say to the people of Goa from your experiences?
KEJRIWAL: We studied the experiences of many countries and found plasma therapy to be a promising option. I am not saying that plasma is the treatment for COVID-19 but even if, there is a small chance to save someone’s life, we should try it. Subsequently, we launched the country’s first two plasma banks in Delhi in early July so that patients in need of plasma can get it free of cost and without any hassle. I heard that there are many misconceptions among people who have recovered from COVID-19 regarding donating their plasma. I want to assure them that it is extremely safe to donate plasma and it does not have any adverse effects. It does not cause any weakness at all in the donor. In fact, it is a god given opportunity to save someone's life.
Hreald: COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on the economy and livelihoods of many people. What are you doing to deal with the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic in Delhi? Goa’s economy is already overburdened and with tourism coming to a standstill, how do you think a small State like Goa should prepare for its revival?
KEJRIWAL: Reviving Delhi’s economy, while keeping coronavirus in check, is our biggest priority now. I think two factors are going to be most important. First, people will need to remove the fear of coronavirus from their minds. Only then can businesses start opening up and the consumers will start spending. We are beginning to see this happen in Delhi, since the COVID-19 situation in Delhi has substantially improved. Second, the governments need to avoid imposing arbitrary lockdowns. I am seeing many States imposing two day or five day lockdowns. This is not going to help; they will only hurt the economy further. Delhi is the best example of how we managed to control the spread of COVID-19 due to sound management, and without resorting to lockdowns. Beyond these, each State will need to take specific measures to revive its economy.
I can understand that with global tourism coming to a standstill, the people of Goa who make their income from tourists must be very worried. But we must stay optimistic and look for the opportunity in this crisis. Goa has an opportunity to take measures to position itself as a destination for safe tourism. There will be an influx of travellers as soon as this is over and I hope Goa, will become the preferred destination for many global and domestic travellers.
Hreald: AAP came back to power in Delhi earlier this year on the platform of its performance. What is AAP’s ideology today and how relevant is it for the rest of the country?
KEJRIWAL: ‘People Friendly Governance” is the essence of AAP’s ideology and the Delhi model. Today politics in this country has become synonymous with fighting over religious and caste issues, and in constant buying and selling of MLAs. Nobody seems to care about what is happening to the country, its people. We believe in collective effort and ensuring dignity of life for every common man. Every person, rich or poor, should have the right to quality education, health, water, electricity and all such basic facilities. I believe that our country can truly become No 1 in the world, if we invest in our people first. We have the smartest people in the world, so many CEOs of top global firms are from India, yet we are a developing country. No country has become a developed country without investing in the health and education of its people, yet we failed to do so for the last 70 years. We have done that in Delhi, which is why the people of Delhi have blessed us with 62 out of 70 seats in the recent State elections. Today, the entire country and the world are talking about the revolution happening in Delhi’s government schools; about our Mohalla clinics; and how we have fought COVID-19 successfully. We have managed to do this by working together with the two crore people of Delhi.
Hreald: How do you see the current status of Goa politics?
KEJRIWAL: Goa is such a beautiful state with wonderful people who are so proud of their culture. But the politics of Goa is very corrupt. Across the country, you see Congress MLAs being bought by BJP and in a way; Goa was the first State, in which such a large scale defection of MLAs took place. Out of 18 seats won by Congress and its allies, 13 MLAs have joined BJP. The sons of another two MLAs have also joined BJP and the remaining ones are those fighting for CM seat. That is the state of the Congress. It is unfortunate that people vote for a party and those leaders go and sell their votes to another party after the elections. But I think people of Goa have had enough of this politics, they are really angry at the state of affairs in Goa and want an honest party that can represent the voice of ordinary Goans.
Hreald: What do you think AAP needs to do in Goa to present itself as a viable and serious alternative?
KEJRIWAL: Goans have seen the worst kind of political drama of these two parties. They are fed up of both BJP and Congress. They are seeing that irrespective of which party they vote for, the MLA will leave and join the other party after election. Goans are tired of corruption and of greedy politicians. Goans want change and they see that change in AAP. They have seen the Delhi Model of AAP and know that AAP is the only party that stands for honest governance and can bring meaningful change in education, healthcare, employment and all other issues that matter for ordinary Goans.
Hreald: So if there is a vacuum in the opposition space nationally, who will fill it? Do you foresee AAP becoming a national alternative?
KEJRIWAL: People are happy with neither the BJP nor Congress today. In such a scenario, I have faith that the people of this country will come up with an alternative. It will be presumptuous on my part to say that AAP will fill the gap at the national level. Our organization is very small. But people all over the country definitely respect AAP and love it. We have shown that we can win with honest funding, and on the track record of governance. AAP has provided honest politics. Due to the work done in health, education, electricity, water and now COVID-19 management, people have hope in AAP and want it to rise up to that role. Only time will tell if AAP will be able to fill that vacuum.