29 Aug 2026, Sri Vijayapuram:
The Aam Aadmi Party has announced a fresh organisational push in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, with newly appointed State President Dr. Arun Kumar Mallik outlining a broad political and governance agenda at a public meeting held at Tiranga Park.
The meeting marked what party leaders described as a renewed beginning for the AAP's organisation in the islands, which, according to the speakers, had remained largely inactive for several years.
Dr. Mallik was introduced as the party's newly appointed State President for Andaman and Nicobar, with the appointment dated August 10, 2026. In his address, he said the immediate objective was not merely to expand the party politically but to build an organisation capable of identifying and taking up everyday problems faced by residents with the local administration.
The meeting therefore went beyond an organisational announcement. Dr. Mallik used the platform to lay out a wide-ranging list of issues that he said would form the party's priorities in the islands from healthcare and education to employment reservation, roads, transport, water, tourism, land conversion, street vendors, drug abuse, environmental concerns and alleged corruption.
From a dormant organisation to a grassroots campaign
Dr. Mallik said the AAP's presence in the islands had become largely dormant over the previous five to six years and that his immediate task was to rebuild it at the grassroots.
He said the party intended to establish an organisational structure extending from the district level down to tehsil, panchayat and village levels. Coordinators would be identified at each level, with particular emphasis on bringing young and educated people into politics.
He described the party's stated organisational principles as patriotism, honesty and humanity, while presenting what he called "alternative politics" as a model in which elected representatives remain focused on resolving people's problems rather than merely raising them.
According to Dr. Mallik, an elected representative whether a panchayat member, councillor or MP should function as a problem-solver for citizens.
He cited a recent complaint from Diglipur concerning STS bus online ticketing as an example. According to his account, residents contacted him after the online ticketing system had reportedly stopped functioning for about two weeks, after which the matter was taken up with the local administration. He presented this as an example of how the party intended to work on day-to-day public grievances.
95% local employment reservation emerges as a major demand
One of the strongest policy positions articulated during the meeting was the demand for 95% reservation for local people in employment.
Dr. Mallik argued against what he described as an impractical demand for 100% reservation, while advocating a 95% model. He referred to Ladakh as an example and said the party would pursue a similar framework for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
He also raised questions concerning the distinction between Islanders' status, residence certificates and other categories of local documentation. The speech referred to different groups of settlers and residents and argued that employment benefits should be structured in a manner that protects the interests of local people.
The issue, he said, would be taken up with the administration and the Lieutenant Governor and, where necessary, pursued at the Union Government and parliamentary level.
Healthcare: focus on specialists, rural facilities and management
Healthcare was another major component of the speech.
Dr. Mallik argued that the island's healthcare system should not be portrayed as uniformly poor, saying that several government services were functioning and that recent improvements had taken place. At the same time, he pointed to shortages of specialist doctors, GDMOs, nurses, laboratory personnel and other staff as areas requiring attention.
He called for additional Urban Health Centres and said the expansion of urban areas had not been matched by a corresponding expansion of primary healthcare facilities.
He also identified Diglipur and Ferrargunj as areas where additional PHCs were needed and raised the requirement for strengthening healthcare infrastructure in remote locations including Campbell Bay, Katchal and Billiground.
The availability of doctors in remote and tribal areas was another concern. Drawing on his own professional experience, Dr. Mallik argued that some locations which previously had full-time medical officers were now increasingly dependent on periodic field visits.
He also spoke about specialist shortages in hospitals in Mayabunder, Rangat and Diglipur and said that he had raised the matter with the administration.
GB Pant Hospital and ANIIMS
A substantial portion of his healthcare discussion concerned GB Pant Hospital and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Institute of Medical Sciences (ANIIMS).
Dr. Mallik explained that the administrative structures governing GB Pant and the other district and community health facilities were different, and argued that residents needed to know which authority was responsible when they faced problems.
He described the separation of responsibilities between the health services administration and ANIIMS as an important management development and credited former Chief Secretary Keshav Chandra with understanding the issue and supporting changes in the management structure.
He also acknowledged recent specialist appointments and said that the administration had taken steps to strengthen healthcare delivery.
Roads and NH-4: questions over delays and accountability
Road infrastructure featured prominently in the meeting.
Dr. Mallik questioned the prolonged construction of National Highway-4 and argued that despite years of work, sections remained incomplete. He also raised allegations of irregularities in road construction and called for greater scrutiny of the agencies and contractors involved.
He criticised the condition of municipal roads in Port Blair and alleged that repeated road works raised questions regarding accountability among municipal engineers, contractors and other agencies. These were presented as political allegations at the meeting and were not independently established in the speech.
The party's position, according to Dr. Mallik, is that infrastructure projects should be monitored more closely and that public representatives should actively question delays and implementation problems.
Weigh bridges, overloading and road safety
The issue of vehicle overloading was also discussed.
Dr. Mallik said the operation of weigh bridges was important both for road safety and for protecting roads from damage. He referred to concerns raised by transport operators and drivers and said that after the issue was brought before the administration, action was taken.
He argued that weigh bridges should function effectively and that additional facilities may be required in different parts of the islands.
The speech also referred to maritime transport and the need to ensure that vessels comply with safety and carrying-capacity requirements before passengers or cargo are permitted to board.
Inter-island connectivity remains a concern
For an archipelago dependent heavily on sea and air connectivity, transport between islands was presented as a major public-service issue.
Dr. Mallik said the existing inter-island helicopter service was not sufficient to meet the needs of the population. He acknowledged the role played by emergency services, including the Navy and Coast Guard, in medical emergencies but argued that regular civilian connectivity required greater attention.
The broader argument was that residents outside Port Blair should not be disadvantaged simply because of their geographical location.
Water supply and infrastructure gaps
Water supply was also discussed as part of the broader infrastructure agenda.
Dr. Mallik linked water-related problems to the wider question of how infrastructure projects are implemented and monitored, arguing that projects should not merely be shown as completed on paper while residents continue to face shortages or service gaps.
The criticism was directed at what he described as a gap between administrative records and conditions experienced on the ground.
Education: deemed university controversy and student concerns
Higher education occupied a significant section of the meeting.
Dr. Mallik recalled the student movement against the proposed transition of the institution into a deemed university. According to his account, students began protesting in February, following which he wrote to the then Chief Secretary seeking continuation of the students who had joined in 2025 under Pondicherry University rather than being shifted into the new arrangement.
He said the administration subsequently took up the issue and that permission was obtained from the Government of India for the students' continuation.
At the same time, he criticised what he described as misinformation and political appropriation of the student movement, arguing that the original student concerns should have remained the central focus.
He also raised the shortage of hostel accommodation for students coming from North and Middle Andaman and other areas outside Port Blair, saying that students without hostel facilities are forced to spend more on private accommodation.
Private universities: regulation before expansion
On the recently proposed framework for private universities, Dr. Mallik took a position that was more supportive of regulation than outright opposition.
He said the administration's proposed regulation should first be studied before political parties reject it. According to him, a private university could potentially create employment and educational opportunities, but a regulatory framework should be in place before any institution is established.
He said he had studied the proposed regulation in detail and submitted comments to the administration. Among the recommendations he mentioned were requirements concerning faculty strength, including assistant professors, associate professors and professors, as well as greater representation of non-official members on expert committees.
He further recommended that a large share of non-teaching employment generated by a future private university should go to local residents.
He also welcomed provisions concerning reservation for Scheduled Tribes and OBCs and suggested greater involvement of independent experts and civil-society representatives in regulatory committees.
Vocational education and ITIs
Dr. Mallik argued that the debate around education should not stop at universities and colleges.
He referred to the islands' vocational and industrial training institutions and alleged shortages of qualified directors, lecturers and other technical personnel.
According to him, strengthening ITIs and vocational training centres, including hostel facilities, should be part of the party's education agenda. He also linked vocational institutions to the wider need for drug-free campuses.
Drug abuse: concern over school-level availability
Drug abuse was described as another serious issue facing the islands.
Dr. Mallik said he had heard reports of drugs being supplied to school students, while acknowledging that he did not possess documentary evidence for some of the claims he mentioned.
He said the administration and law-enforcement agencies were already pursuing a "zero tolerance" approach and referred to the Drug-Free Andaman and Nicobar initiative. However, he argued that enforcement and awareness efforts needed to go further, particularly where drugs may be reaching school students.
He also said that awareness programmes alone would not be sufficient and called for members of the public to report suspected drug distribution through appropriate channels.
Street vendors: rights along with compliance
Street vending was presented as another important livelihood issue.
Dr. Mallik referred to registered street vendors in the Port Blair Municipal Council area and said vendors had rights that needed to be protected.
At the same time, he urged vendors to operate only in designated areas and not occupy non-vending zones. He said a survey had recently been conducted and that those eligible under the rules could receive licences, including people who had not been able to participate in the earlier survey.
He emphasised that the issue should not be framed as a conflict between islanders and non-islanders, arguing that people come to the islands from different parts of the country in search of livelihoods.
Allegations concerning illegal migration and certificates
One of the more politically sensitive sections of the speech concerned what Dr. Mallik described as illegal migration.
He alleged that foreign nationals entering the islands illegally were, in some cases, being provided documents including residence certificates or Islanders-related documentation through corrupt practices.
He specifically referred to alleged involvement of some panchayat representatives and municipal councillors and said that cases had been registered against some individuals in the past. He claimed to possess documentary evidence concerning several cases.
These statements were made by Dr. Mallik during the meeting and constitute allegations; the transcript itself does not independently establish the claims or identify official findings in each case.
He also distinguished between foreign nationals and internal migrants from mainland India, arguing that the two categories should not be treated in the same manner.
Land conversion: criticism over policy uncertainty
Land conversion was another issue raised from the perspective of residents and landholders.
Dr. Mallik said conversion of agricultural land to other uses had been restricted since 2019 and welcomed what he described as the administration's recent move to restart the process.
However, he criticised what he portrayed as uncertainty in the policy, saying that residents had at different times been told that conversion was closed and later that it had reopened, without clear communication of the relevant orders.
He cited his own experience of applying for conversion as an example of the difficulties faced by applicants.
His broader demand was for a clear, transparent and officially documented conversion process.
Voter-list revision becomes an electoral concern
The Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls was also discussed.
Dr. Mallik raised concerns over the number of names removed from the electoral rolls in the islands and said residents had contacted him after discovering that their names were no longer present.
Importantly, he also acknowledged the work of Booth Level Officers and said he believed the administration had undertaken the exercise carefully. His concern, he said, was specifically about residents whose names may have been deleted unintentionally.
He urged affected residents to approach the party so that their cases could be pursued through the prescribed process before the deadline he cited, in preparation for the expected local-body elections.
He further claimed that a large proportion of the deletions were concentrated in the Port Blair area and linked the issue to questions surrounding residence certificates, electoral registration and local political representation. Those wider allegations remain claims made during the meeting and would require independent documentary verification.
Environment and indigenous rights
Environmental protection and indigenous rights were another important element of the address.
Dr. Mallik referred to the scale of environmental damage that could result from large infrastructure projects and spoke about the need to protect indigenous communities and their rights.
He referred to environmental-impact assessment procedures and alleged that certain reports or processes had not been carried out correctly, including claims of pressure and inaccurate reporting. He also welcomed what he described as international attention to indigenous rights and environmental concerns.
His position was not presented as opposition to all infrastructure development. Rather, he argued that major projects should avoid entering areas inhabited or used by indigenous communities and suggested that infrastructure such as airports and ports should be located in appropriate areas.
Death cases and demand for investigation
Dr. Mallik also referred to two murder cases, including the death of Anish Toppo and the killing of a media professional identified in the transcript as "Shahdev".
On the Anish Toppo case, he clarified that, at the time of the meeting, a CID investigation by the Andaman and Nicobar Police was underway and that he was awaiting its report. He said he hoped the investigation would provide satisfactory answers.
He also questioned the status of the other murder investigation and called for greater public accountability in such cases.
A different approach to political opposition
A notable feature of Dr. Mallik's address was his argument that the AAP would not automatically oppose every initiative of the administration.
Using the proposed private-university regulations as an example, he said political parties should read and understand government proposals before opposing them. If a policy was beneficial, he said, it should be supported; where it was flawed, the party would raise objections.
This approach, he said, was part of the party's "alternative politics" model.
Port Blair and airport naming proposals
The meeting also included a cultural and political identity component.
Dr. Mallik said that if the AAP eventually came to power in the islands, it would seek to restore the name "Port Blair" and also proposed renaming Veer Savarkar International Airport after John Richardson, whom he described as an early Nicobari MP.
These were presented as future political commitments rather than immediate administrative decisions.
The six-month electoral push
The speech ultimately returned to organisation and elections.
Dr. Mallik described the coming six months as crucial for the party because of the expected local-body elections. He said the AAP intended to campaign at the district, tehsil, panchayat and village levels.
He said the party already had four people willing to contest municipal elections and that it intended to identify young and energetic candidates.
The party also plans, according to the speech, to undertake visits across North and Middle Andaman, Nicobar and South Andaman as part of its grassroots campaign.
The stated political proposition is therefore broader than simply contesting elections: the party wants to establish itself as an organisation that handles day-to-day public grievances while simultaneously building a candidate base for the 2027 local elections.
AAP's message: administration should be engaged, not simply opposed
One of the more significant themes running through the entire meeting was the relationship the party says it wants with the administration.
Dr. Mallik repeatedly said that many public problems could only be solved by working with the local administrative system. He spoke positively about several officials and acknowledged initiatives undertaken by the administration, even while criticising other decisions and demanding greater accountability.
That position represents a somewhat different political pitch from conventional opposition politics: support measures considered beneficial, question decisions considered inadequate, and attempt to resolve individual grievances through administrative engagement.
From public meeting to political test
The Tiranga Park meeting was therefore less a single-issue political gathering and more an attempt by the revived AAP leadership to establish a broad political narrative for the islands.
Dr. Mallik's speech combined immediate public grievances healthcare shortages, transport difficulties, roads, education and water with longer-term political questions involving employment reservation, land policy, environmental protection, indigenous rights, electoral rolls and local governance.
At the organisational level, the party has set itself an ambitious target: rebuilding its presence from the district to the village level and identifying candidates ahead of the 2027 local-body elections.
At the policy level, it has placed employment reservation, public healthcare, education, infrastructure and accountability at the centre of its message.
And at the political level, it is presenting itself as an alternative that, in its own words, intends to put the "common man" at the centre of governance.
Whether that message translates into a sustained grassroots organisation and ultimately into electoral support will become clearer as the party moves from public meetings and issue-based interventions to its proposed village-level campaign and candidate selection ahead of the local-body elections.
Editorial Note: This report is based on Dr. Arun Kumar Mallik's address at the AAP public meeting at Tiranga Park and the corresponding YouTube Live/transcription studied by Dweep Tulika. Political positions, allegations and claims made during the meeting have been attributed to the speaker. Where independent documentary verification was not available from the material reviewed, such claims have not been presented as established facts.