Bhakt Kejriwal
The Delhi CM wants the pictures of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi on fresh currency notes
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s view that we should have the pictures of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi on fresh currency notes underlines not just the limitations of his party’s thinking but also the growing attractiveness of Hindutva. Expressing his concern about the state of the Indian economy at a press briefing, he said that apart from “a lot of efforts to get our economy back on track” what is needed is the blessings of our gods and goddesses. “On Indian currency notes…on one side there is the picture of Gandhi Ji… It should remain as it is… If we put a photo of Ganesha Ji and Lakshmi Ji on the other side, the entire country will get their blessings.” The Aam Aadmi Party boss has pointed the currency in Indonesia, which is Muslim majority, has “a picture of Shri Ganesh Ji.” He has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to follow suit. So much for scientific temperament. For Kejriwal and the AAP, the solutions are always easy. How to make the lives of people easier? Give them free electricity, free power; subsidise their pilgrimage. And how to revive the economy? Seek the blessings of gods and goddesses. This is voodoo economics on the steroids of sentimentalism and populism. It is like telling a student who wants to score well in examinations to pray regularly instead of imploring them to study hard. Prayers can never work without a proper perspective, hard work, and determination, whether in personal life or in the affairs of State.
In the case of AAP, freebies pass off as political philosophy and cant as political discourse. Unfortunately, that is also, more or less, true about other parties. Basically, the idea is to pollute the political arena with even more sentimentalism and sanctimony; if this involves infusing superstition and voodoo elements, so be it. Politicians often talk approvingly of scientific temper, but if mumbo-jumbo gets more traction, why shy away from it? Hence Kejriwal’s new gambit. The Bharatiya Janata Party was quick to attack him, calling it a poll tactic. It is indeed a poll tactic, but it should be seen in the narrative the AAP is trying to build—the narrative of a Hindu party that works for people. For freebies are often portrayed as pro-people measures. With the BJP in power for more than eight years, its ideology of Hindutva has made non-BJP parties change their phraseology and positions on important issues. Kejriwal seems to be trying his luck with what commentators call ‘soft Hindutva.’ He has already presented himself as a Hanuman bhakt. But he must remember that the non-BJP parties which flirted with soft Hindutva never benefited. Rajiv Gandhi failed miserably, as did his son Rahul with his ‘janeudhari Brahmin’ gig. The reason is simple: if the voter elects their representatives, they would go for the genuine Hindutva party, the BJP. Why should they opt for copycats?
Source: The PIoneer News
