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Toeing The BJP-Hindutva Line Will Not Help AAP

By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2022-10-27 03:18:24

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Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.

Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal, an IIT-Kharagpur alumni and a former IRS officer, controversially suggested to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that pictures of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesh must be put on Indian currency notes as the deities will then bless the country and the economy will prosper. This shows the level which politicians will descend to for votes.

India is a secular nation and the government is expected to be religion-neutral. The BJP has been accused of using Hindu symbols and motifs in election campaigns to win Hindu votes. But here is the chief of a party that professes to be 'different' and is making an all-out effort (state by state) to become the premier opposition party, suggesting something anti-secular to win Hindu votes. Earlier too, AAP had tried to take on the BJP on its nationalism plank by holding 'tiranga rallies' in several states. This is not being different - it is toeing the BJP line. The AAP neither has the ideology nor the support to plunge into the Hindutva field and should avoid doing so.

The opposition parties do not realize that it is difficult to beat the BJP in this game. Instead of trying to appease Hindus with such statements, Kejriwal will do well to get the support of the huge number of Hindus who do not subscribe to the BJP's Hindutva ideology by stressing on the benefits of an inclusive society. There are other pressing issues which Kejriwal can use to corner the BJP. But he has chosen to be more Hindu than the BJP. This dents the USP of the AAP - that of providing good governance on health, education and anti-corruption planks. Obviously the party has decided to change track as it feels what worked for it in Punjab will not work in Gujarat and Himachal, the two states which will go to the polls this year and where the party is making a serious bid to capture power.

The Indian currency notes now have the picture of Mahatma Gandhi on one side and pictures of historical places of tourist interest on the other. There is no need to disturb that. Arvind Kejriwal is likely to lose votes, rather than gain any, by making this controversial demand.