With Assembly elections nearing in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, political parties pushing the Hindutva agenda have become a major talking point again. One such leader is Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who recently demanded that Hindu deities should be included on Indian currency.
"Print photos of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha on one side and Mahatma Gandhi on the other on currency notes," said Kejriwal. The BJP, in response, said that his demand was a U-turn as he was "trying" to be a Hindu. It was not the first time that Kejriwal had tried to appeal to Hindu sentiments. Let's take a look at his comments on Hinduism in the past.
Earlier this year, Kejriwal trained his guns on the BJP over its Hindutva politics. "I believe in Hindutva that’s in Ramayan, Gita," said Kejriwal, while speaking to India Today. "Whatever is mentioned in Ramayan and Gita is Hindutva. Whatever Lord Ram said in Ramayan is Hindutva. Lord Ram never taught us enmity amongst ourselves. But these people are getting Dalits lynched."
In March 2021, Kejriwal said that his government was following the 10 principles inspired by 'Ram Rajya' to serve the citizens of Delhi. He said the principles were to provide food, education, medical care, electricity, water supply, employment, housing, security for women and to honour the elderly. He cited his government's Mohalla clinics as an example of the application of these principles.
"All of us worship Lord Rama," he said, during a speech in the Delhi Assembly. "Personally, I worship Lord Hanuman who was a devotee of Lord Rama. Hence, I am a devotee of both Lord Rama and Hanuman. Lord Rama was the emperor of Ayodhya. During his rule, it is said, people were content with no sorrows in life as they had access to all basic facilities. This was called the Ram Rajya."
Ahead of the Delhi elections in 2020 when the Aam Aadmi Party won with a 62-seat majority, Kejriwal said that he was a Hanuman devotee and was a regular at Delhi's Hanuman temple in Delhi's Connaught Place. While speaking on a TV channel, he also recited the Hanuman Chalisa.
(With agency inputs)