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When AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal took oath as Delhi Chief Minister today, students at his alma mater here, IIT Kharagpur, where politics was once taboo, celebrated it donning 'Aam Aadmi' caps and promising to be part of the change.
"Never underestimate power of a common man. Feeling proud being a small part of this political revolution ... Congrats to all Kgp janta," read a message posted on two AAP pages devoted to IIT Kgp.
Three decades ago when Kejriwal known as 'Kejri' studied B.Tech in mechanical engineering at the institute, politics was taboo among students, but the political success of Delhi's new chief minister has made it a hot topic.
Rajeev Saraf, one of Kejriwal's best friends from college days, told PTI, "Politics was the last thing on anyone's mind at IIT. Besides our career, we had fun watching movies, going out with friends and playing with them."
Saraf, who now runs a software company in Delhi, said it was necessary that politics should become a part of the discourse at the IIT campus.
MTech student Ritesh Singh who had opted out of placements last year to work for AAP said, "Nobody used to talk politics.
"But slowly after the India Against Corruption movement began in Delhi, some of us got involved and then the whole process took off. Now politics is a hot topic in the campus."
The election success of AAP took matters to another level as Singh said he was now getting feelers from IIT students ready to join the party and there were already more than 500 students from the institute who had enrolled as AAP volunteers.
