Welfare politics with a liberal dose of Hindutva: AAP makes no bones about its poll narrative | Political Pulse News

The scheme for priests announced by Kejriwal, the AAP national convenor, on Monday has been specifically named ‘Pujari Granthi Samman Rashi Scheme’, and promises Rs 18,000 a month to temple priests and gurdwara granthis if the party returns to power in the coming Assembly elections.

A source said the AAP’s main target are those working in small temples and gurdwaras, and serves a fait accompli to the BJP’s demand for such a grant. “Some constituencies have 200 temples and gurdwaras and some have 40… and several people connect with what the priests or granthis say,” an AAP source said, underlining the potential impact of the scheme.

While the announcement triggered protests by some imams of mosques, who claimed that a similar grant for them had not been paid for months, the AAP does not seem unduly perturbed. It claimed that the process to correct this had already begun. As such, the party seems reconciled to the fact that the minority community may not back it in large numbers, being disenchanted with the AAP since its silence during the 2020 Delhi riots.

In the run-up to the Assembly elections, the AAP government has also mounted an anti-Rohingya campaign and taken its checks against anti-Bangladesh illegal migrants to schools – both of which sit well with its Hindutva pitch.

If the Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana, facilitating free pilgrimage to religious sites for senior citizens, preceded the 2020 Assembly elections, before the 2022 polls to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Kejriwal appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that images of Hindu deities Lakshmi and Ganesh be put on currency notes to bring “economic prosperity” to India.

Ahead of this year’s Lok Sabha elections, and soon after the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya by Modi, the AAP underlined its own faith in “Ramayana”, including presenting a “Ram Rajya” themed budget.

Atishi, then the Finance Minister, mentioned the word “Ram” and “Ram Rajya” at least 40 times in her 90-minute speech, and the budget copy had excerpts from the Ramayana.

The AAP has also fallen back on other characters from Hindu mythology to connect with the public through the past year, incorporating tales such as that of Shravan Kumar and his devotion to his parents.

Ahead of Diwali this year, the party organised a Ram Leela in Urdu at the Urdu festival – a first – and has continued with its “Sunderkand” recitals and “Hanuman Chalisa” programmes.

When Kejriwal held his first “Janta ki Adalat” post his release from jail – he was held over allegations regarding the AAP government’s excise policy – the AAP compared his time in custody to “vanvaas (Lord Ram’s time in exile)”. Former education minister Manish Sisodia, similarly arrested and out on bail, called himself Laxman to Kejriwal’s Ram.

Resigning from the post of CM, and resolving that he would reoccupy it only after he is cleared of the charges, Kejriwal likened it to the Agni Pariksha of Sita in Ramayana.

In the same vein, Atishi, who replaced Kejriwal as CM, compared herself to Bharat, who acted as the custodian to the throne of Ayodhya till brother Ram’s return from exile.

Now, the AAP’s latest faceoff with the Lieutenant Governor involves temples, with the party claiming that a panel headed by the LG had cleared demolition of various religious structures.

Incidentally, the Hindutva pitch alone appears not to have helped the AAP in Delhi during the Lok Sabha polls, or in Haryana where it contested its first Assembly polls this year. However, the party is hopeful that combined with its health and education agenda, and its welfare politics, the Hindutva narrative can prove strong enough to keep the BJP from winning.

Calling the Hindutva pitch only one of the aspects of the party’s campaign, a source in the AAP said: “The voting patterns in Delhi are different compared to other states. For example, 55-56% of the voters in Delhi choose the BJP for the Lok Sabha and the AAP in the Assembly elections. This vote share includes the middle class… So, through these religious schemes, the AAP definitely wants to get the middle-class votes, such as the eight Assembly seats which the BJP won the last time.”

Another senior leader said the AAP is aiming to win 55 seats in the coming polls, which is not “a cakewalk” after 10 years of incumbency and almost full majority in the Assembly. “The fact that the BJP remains in power at the Centre and the Congress has shown a revival will also have an impact. The AAP has its set of committed voters… but there are certain voters who may change their perception or give a chance to a different party… This (Hindutva pitch) is part of a strategy to woo such voters,” said the leader.