Soon after Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal appealed to the Prime Minister to print photos of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi on fresh currency notes, BJP launched an attack on the AAP leader for trying to be overly Hindu.
BJP leader Sambit Patra questioned the double standards of Kejriwal as the Delhi government imposed a ban on bursting crackers on Diwali while celebrating the festival of lights. He also pointed out the Kejriwal earlier mocked a film on Kashmiri Pandits but now he was pretending to be religious.
He also said that the appeal was politically motivated. "Arvind Kejriwal's politics is now taking a U-turn... He's the same man who declined to ever go to Ayodhya's Ram Temple, claiming God won't accept the prayers offered there... he's the same man who laughed and called exodus of Kashmiri Pandits a lie in Parliament," Patra said.
BJP MP Manoj Tiwari alleged that several AAP ministers and leaders in Gujarat have abused Hindu Gods in the past and they were still in the party. "They're bringing new tactics to save face in polls. Those who objected to Ram Mandir have come with a new mask," Tiwari said.
Meanwhile Amit Malviya dubbed Kejriwal a "Hindu bigot". "His promises and pronouncements are meant to distract from governance failure in Delhi and Punjab," he tweeted.
Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia however backed Kejriwal's appeal to print photos of Hindu deities on currency notes for prosperity.
Kejriwal on Wednesday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to have photos of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi on currency notes.
During a media briefing, he said the photos of Ganesha and Lakshmi could be printed on fresh currency notes. He added that the new notes could have a picture of Mahatma Gandhi on one side and of the two deities on the other. He said the economy is undergoing a hard time and 'demonic forces are lined up against us'.
"Despite making efforts, sometimes our efforts do not fructify if gods and goddesses are not blessing us. I appeal to PM (Modi) to have photos of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Laxmi on our currency (notes).
"If there is a photo of Lakshmi-Ganesha on our currency (notes), our country will prosper. I will write to (the) prime minister in a day or two on this," he said.
(With inputs from PTI)