Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal recently said that all new Indian currency notes should bear the images of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha to obtain their blessings, which he hoped would boost the economy. This statement came just before the Gujarat Assembly elections. The state will go to polls on 1 and 5 December.
AAP Double-standards
The AAP is a new political party, but within such a short span made several U-turns. This is also evident as Delhi-NCR has again turned into a gas chamber, thanks primarily to the stubble burning, especially in Punjab. Till last year, the AAP would raise the issue of stubble burning in Punjab, but this time it is keeping quiet. Punjab, after all, has the AAP government this time.
In the Punjab Assembly elections this year, the AAP won a historically significant victory. Dalits make up a sizable portion of the Punjabi population, and pride in Bhagat Singh has always been extremely strong among Punjabis. Kejriwal aggressively raised Bhagat Singh’s martyrdom and Dr BR Ambedkar’s teachings both before and after the elections. But a few weeks ago, a significant conversion controversy emerged from Delhi, where an AAP minister had participated in the oath-taking ceremony and allegedly made inappropriate remarks about the Hindu gods.
Despite resigning from his position, Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam insisted that Dr Ambedkar was the author of these words. But the AAP’s silence is the problem. This demonstrates the opportunism in his approach to politics.
Opportunistic Politics
Arvind Kejriwal is currently attempting to refute the Bharatiya Janata Party’s accusations that he is anti-Hindu. Many people think it was a brilliant move to ask the Prime Minister to include images of Ganesha and Lakshmi in Indian currency. But he hasn’t been too convincing.
Since 2013, Dalits and Muslims have overwhelmingly supported Arvind Kejriwal in elections in Delhi. However, the AAP did not do much to help the manual scavengers and sanitation workers from Dalit families in Delhi. Kejriwal interacted with Dalits in Gujarat and also extended an invitation to a Dalit man and his family to lunch in Delhi. The entire episode turned into a photo opportunity, but after the conversion row, he stopped talking about the Dalits.
Similarly, the AAP partnered with the Bharatiya Tribal Party to launch their campaigns in Gujarat. But the alliance was broken within a few months. During this time, Kejriwal spoke to the tribal people of Gujarat, who make up about 15 percent of the population, before abruptly ceasing to mention their problems. The AAP is now raising the Patidar issue and asserting that the BJP has consistently shown disdain for this community. In Gujarat, this is a political ploy that Congress has already tried and failed with.
The AAP’s double-standard is also obvious vis-à-vis its dies with Gopal Italia, AAP’s Gujarat chief. Italiawas featured in numerous videos a few days ago. He has insulted the Prime Minister in one video and the Prime Minister’s mother in another. In a few of the videos, Italia spoke out against Hindu rituals, but the AAP remained silent.
The AAP’s currency move should be seen in this perspective, aimed at winning over Hindu voters. The intent of the AAP got exposed immediately after Kejriwal put this demand forward. Senior APP leader Atishi said, “BJP hates Arvind Kejriwal but they should not have a problem with the images of Ganesha and Laxmi Ji.”
The AAP is aware that some voters in the Gujarat elections and the upcoming Delhi municipal corporation elections have lost faith in the BJP. The AAP’s main objective is to win over and draw in these voters. A party that promised to be different when it was founded has now developed a monotonous and predictable style.
The party is desperate to show it’s more Hindu than the BJP. Its currency politics is aimed at that. One, however, wonders how the people are going to believe this, amid a series of alleged anti-Hindu policies pursued by the party. The AAP needs a serious ideological churn. It cannot change its ideological colour as per the situation, and expect the people to take it seriously.
The author is a columnist and Doctoral Research Scholar In Media & Politics. He tweets @sayantan_gh. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the stand of this publication.
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