AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal’s response to the BJP’s advertising jibe on his sub-caste is a clear indication that the political parties are making their last-minute desperate attempts to reach out to different castes and communities for the coming Assembly elections in the national Capital. It all began with the BJP’s advertisement in national dailies on Monday terming the AAP leaders’ sub-caste as “anarchist.” He hit back, saying that the advertisement had targeted his sub-caste and the Aggarwal community would respond to this in the coming elections.
Sensing that Kejriwal’s response may play a spoilsport in the coming elections, the BJP filed a complaint against the AAP with the Election Commission alleging that the party has violated the Model Code Of Conduct by trying to give a “casteist and religious tone” to a “political statement” made in the advertisement. Meanwhile, the BJP fielded its Vaish leader and Union Minister Piyush Goyal to counter the AAP leader. After his meeting with the EC officials, Goyal told the reporters, “We have apprised the EC about the unfortunate incident of use of caste in the election process (by AAP) which is in violation to the poll code.”
The BJP advertisement, which alluded to the anarchist attitude, mindset and behaviour of the AAP, has sought to be twisted into religious and casteist overtone and was blown out of context, the Minister added. “We have appealed to the EC to take action against this kind of deplorable behaviour.” Kejriwal, whose sub-caste is Aggarwal, belongs to the Vaish community, which has as many as eight per cent voters all across the city. The Vaish community, which has traditionally been a saffron outfit supporter, has more than 10 per cent vote share in 24 of the 70 seats in Delhi.
According to senior Congress leader Chhattar Singh, the constituencies where the Vaish community plays a dominant role are Rohini (30%), Shakurbasti (26%), Shalimar Bagh (25%), Tri Nagar and Rithala (both 20%), Greater Kailash, Adarsh Nagar, Gandhi Nagar and Rohtas Nagar (each having 18%), Shahdara (17%), Delhi Sadar (16%), Model Town, Mangolpuri and Vishwas Nagar (each having 15%), Krishna Nagar and Malviya Nagar (both have 12%), Matia Mahal (11%) and Mehrauli, Dwarka, Nangloi Jat, Mundka, Kasturba Nagar and Moti Nagar (each having 10%).
As the parties have openly started playing caste and community politics, political pundits feel that nine of the 70 constituencies where the AAP, the BJP and the Congress have fielded candidates of the same caste would witness an interesting battle in the coming elections.