Delhi Minister’s resignation was on the cards, given Kejriwal’s Hanuman bhakt image
Rajendra Pal Gautam’s resignation as a Delhi Minister should not come as a surprise, for Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wants to present his Aam Aadmi Party as a Hindu alternative to the BJP. Or at least an alternative that is not anti-Hindu. This is the reason that AAP leaders have shied away from slamming the saffron brigade in a phraseology that is usually employed by self-proclaimed secular parties. Of course, all parties in India are secular but some are more secular than others. The AAP seems to have chosen the less secular path; some may even call it ‘soft Hindutva’. Last year, he and his Deputy, Manish Sisodia, along with their wives, offered prayers at the Akshardham temple in the Capital and performed Lakshmi Puja on Diwali. They were accompanied by their Cabinet colleagues. He also tweeted, “As two crore Delhiites will together perform Lakshmi Pujan, marvellous vibes will be created across Delhi and all the visible and invisible forces will bless them.” In February 2020, during the run-up to the Assembly election in Delhi, Kejriwal proudly announced that he is a ‘Hanuman bhakt’ and even recited the Hanuman Chalisa in front of an audience. Eager to become a major political force in Gujarat, he recently promised “free visits to the Ayodhya Ram Temple” to “all people from Gujarat” if his party wins the forthcoming Assembly election. He even chanted ‘Jai Shri Ram,’ which is kind of BJP’s war cry.
In this sanskari symphony, Gautam’s presence at an event in which 10,000 people converted to Buddhism was a discordant note. The converted people took BR Ambedkar’s 22 vows and pledged that they won’t pray to Hindu gods and goddesses. A video of the event that went viral showed a monk, who shared the dais with Gautam, administering the oath: “I will have no faith in Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh, nor will I worship them as God. I will have no faith in Ram or Krishna, nor will I worship them. I will have no faith in Gauri, Ganapati and other Hindu gods, nor will I worship them.” Gautam also took the oath. Unsurprisingly, the BJP came down on him and the AAP like a tonne of bricks. For much less, the saffron party and its fellow travellers hit the roof; now there was audio-visual evidence of the AAP Minister hurting the sentiments of Hindus. The saffron brigade sought his resignation; the AAP didn’t defend him. All this may incense liberals, for they must be seeing this as betrayal by one of their comrades; after all, Kejriwal had begun as an anti-establishment activist whose pronouncements often appeared Left leaning. From anarchist to Hanuman bhakt has been quite a journey. But that happens when a person or a group of persons enter politics with good intentions but without a sound political philosophy. So, the only policy AAP can offer is freebies. It has become a floating mass without the ballast.