Game for a political summer internship?

Ipsita Sarkar Gupta | shiksha.com

So where are you planning to intern this summer? Eyeing a hotshot corporate with a fat stipend? Lucrative offers always weigh high on one’s mind. But, hold on. There’s a new offer on the plate.

Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has called upon volunteers from institutions and colleges across the world for a political summer internship.

"Would you like to go for an internship/ summer project in Delhi/NCR that can give you sense of accomplishment and not just a formality?” – reads the advertisement, trying to entice educated young minds.

For rewards, there will be no cheque; just a certificate of excellence from Aam Aadmi Party.

“About 20 students from Faculty of Management Studies (FMS) have volunteered for AAP internship after Kejriwal gave a speech at the institute,” said Preethi Puram, FMS media coordinator. 

This is not the first instance of students from top institutes interning with political parties. It was Chepuri Krishna, IIM-A student, who first started the trend of IIM grads interning with political parties. In 2008, Chepuri worked with the CPM's (Communist Party of India, Marxist) central office and produced a paper on the 'unorganised workforce in the country.'

In 2011, two IIM Calcutta students – Hariharan Sriram and Mansha Tandon – interned with Trinamool Congress during the Assembly elections, focusing on public policy and youth connect. Similarly in 2010, IIM Bangalore student Himanshu Meena interned with the Indian National Congress. In 2009, three IIM Calcutta students pursued a political internship with BJP, designing their poll strategies.

However, with current student-led anti-corruption tide engulfing the nation, AAP’s internship stands out among the student communities. Floated casually on the party’s Facebook page, it has received more than 2,000 applications. “The applications are coming from across the world including Stanford, Oxford and top management and engineering institutes of India,” said Dilip Kumar Pandey, founding member, AAP.

“It is a good option to explore and make a mark in political setup,” said Ravi Manoram, MBA student at Faculty of Management Studies (FMS). Ravi is currently on placement holiday and plans to become an online entrepreneur. “Corruption is a persistent mania. But AAP is doing things that are different.  They have innovative thoughts influenced by correct ideology. I am not looking into a political career but understand how politics works,” said Ravi.

Commenting on why students from top institutes are foregoing lucrative options and opting for AAP internship, Shazia Ilmi, AAP’s national executive said, “Politics is about management, food supply, economy, price-rise, and other real stuff. Students will get national-level managerial lessons on economics, pricing, policy and even IT.”

She further adds, “Why have forced electoral options between Rahul and Modi? Students should choose their own political candidates. We want to change the basic paradigm and send good guys up there. ”

With Kejriwal’s highly publicised speech at Ivy League Wharton business school scheduled on March 23, AAP aims to gather more support from students of top B-schools and other prestigious institutes.

One can choose from various departments while interning within the party. Some of the departments are:

• Mobilisation
• Media and Communication
• Event Management
• Information Technology
• Website Handling

There is also an option of working from home, added Shazia. The minimum duration of internship is two months. During the period, students will be mentored by party activists Gopal Rai, Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan, Shazia Ilmi, Pankaj Gupta and several others.

Party insiders claim that students from most IIMs and IITs have also signed up for the internship.

However, when shiksha.com contacted Professor Sankarshan Basu, chairperson, Career Development Services, IIM Bangalore, he refuted the statement. Similar responses were meted by IIM Ahmedabad student placement secretary Balasubramanian S. “There has been no official communiqué. However, students may have opted for the internship through unofficial channels,” said Balasubramanian.

Interested? You too can register online for the internship!