In a clarion call, Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) student wing, the Association of Students for Alternative Politics (ASAP), reminded the BJP-led Delhi Government of its unfulfilled promise of discounted metro passes and demanded an immediate 50% fare concession for all students.
Citing soaring college fees and inflation, ASAP said metro travel has become an unbearable burden for students, announcing a 16-day campaign across Delhi University colleges to press for their demand after submitting memorandums to the LG, CM, DU Vice-Chancellor, and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).
The AAP’s student wing—ASAP—held a press conference at the party headquarters on Tuesday demanding a 50% concession in metro fares for Delhi University students. Speaking at the press conference, Eeshna Gupta from ASAP said that a student’s dream is simple — to get admission in a good college, receive quality education, and use that education to secure a better future and job opportunities. “Students don’t have extravagant demands. All they expect from governments is some relief in their basic facilities,” she said.
Eeshna Gupta highlighted that when a student travels from home to college, spends the entire day studying, and then returns home, they should not be burdened with worries about the cost of the metro fare. “Today, an average student spends between ₹60 and ₹100 daily on metro fares, which amounts to ₹1,800 to ₹3,000 per month. If this money could be saved, students could invest it in certificate courses, skill development, or books, enabling them to get a more holistic education. Many students even give up their preferred course or college simply because they cannot afford the travel expenses,” she explained.
She further stated that ABVP and NSUI, in their various manifestos, repeatedly promised to advocate for fare concessions in the metro for students, but neither took any concrete action nor genuinely raised the students’ demands. “They only made Instagram reels. And what did the BJP do? In the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections, every BJP leader made big promises that needy students would get metro fare waivers of up to ₹4,000. But like all its other guarantees and promises, the BJP forgot this too,” Eeshna Gupta said.
She pointed out, lakhs of students study in Delhi and use the metro daily, but the absence of any fare concession is unjust. “ASAP is not speaking only for economically weaker students. In this era of inflation, where college fees are continuously increasing, metro fare has become a burden on every student in Delhi. Our demand from the four-engine BJP government is to provide a 50% concession in metro fares for every student in Delhi,” Eeshna Gupta asserted.
ASAP Delhi State Sangathan Mantri Om Singh reiterated that the BJP had promised in its Assembly election manifesto to give fare concessions to students. Their ideological ally ABVP also made this promise in every manifesto in 2015, 2023, and 2024, pledging free or discounted metro passes for students. “Like their other promises, this too has proved to be nothing more than an electoral slogan,” he said. Similarly, the Congress party and its student wing NSUI also promised in their 2015 manifesto to provide free or concessional metro passes to students. NSUI repeated this promise in its 2023 manifesto for all Delhi University and Delhi students to get a 50% concession on metro fares.
Om Singh pointed out that NSUI even holds the presidency of Delhi University, yet took no action on this issue. “Like with other matters, they just made reels and stayed silent. They did not provide metro passes or fulfill any promise related to basic student facilities,” he said. On Monday, the entire ASAP team, along with ordinary students, submitted memorandums to the LG of Delhi, the CM, the Vice Chancellor of Delhi University, and the DMRC Chairman, urging them to issue 50% concessional metro passes for students at the earliest.
ASAP Delhi State Vice President Abhishek Kumar stressed that whether it is metro passes, a good library, or any other facility, these are basic necessities for students. “The issue of metro fare concession has always been important for students. Since 2016, every party — whether ABVP or NSUI — has been making promises in their manifestos to provide a 50% concession on metro passes. This cycle continues, but nothing changes,” he said.
Abhishek Kumar announced that ASAP will stage further protests to push for this demand and will deal with any situation that arises. He also declared that from Wednesday, ASAP will launch a 16-day campaign across all colleges, including DUSU Campus, South Campus, and North Campus, to mobilise support for the demand.
