Jubilee Post News & Views
Vivek Avasthi
Over a week has passed since Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party won elections to Mini-India or Delhi. But it seems that Kejriwal and party have forgotten the long-standing deadlock of Shaheen Bagh of the Capital.
Today was the second day when mediators appointed by the Supreme Court- Senior advocates Sanjay Hegde and Sadhana Ramachandran, to hold talks with anti-CAA protesters at Shaheen Bagh, left the protest site after holding discussions. “Our mediation talks are continuing and we will come back again tomorrow to Shaheen Bagh,”
Ramachandran told the media while leaving the venue. But there are no signs of retreat from the protestors who have laid siege there for over two months now.
Is Kejriwal Playing the Soft Hindutva Card?
On the occasion of his third swearing-in ceremony at the Ramlila Grounds in Delhi, Kejriwal was definitely wearing a different look. The Aam Aadmi cap was distinctively replaced by a ‘tilak’ on his forehead.
Even the trademark muffler was gone. Is Kejriwal trying to tell the country that he is now the alternate to the Congress Party by giving out these signals?
Even when the Supreme Court has sent mediators to Shaheen Bagh and the ruling BJP in no mood to hold any dialogue with the protestors, Kejriwal, who recently, again claimed to be the son of Delhi, saying that all Delhites were his own people, seems to have left Shaheen Bagh out of his scheme of things. Are the voters of Shaheen Bagh not his voters or residents of Delhi? There are many unanswered questions before the Aam Aadmi Party and Arvind Kejriwal on the contentious issue of Shaheen Bagh.
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Senior journalist and former Editor of the Times of India, Ambikanand Sahay says that now his “Political Dharam Guru is Lord Hanuman”. He adds that Kejriwal is trying to project himself as a secular but not an anti-Hindu as he has seen the downfall of the Congress labelled itself as anti-hindu by showing its leaning towards the minority community. He terms this as “Pragmatic Hindutva” rather than soft Hindutva.
Kejriwal Eyeing Yogi’s Bastion Uttar Pradesh
After winning Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is now preparing tospread its roots in Uttar Pradesh. The party is launching a major one-month long membership drive in Uttar Pradesh from February 23. "The party aims to take the 'Arvind Kejriwal model of development' to Uttar Pradesh and strengthen its base across the 403 Assembly constituencies," said party MP Sanjay Singh, who is in-charge of Uttar Pradesh unit.
Sanjay Singh said people can become members of the party by reaching out to party offices and getting receipts or by giving missed calls or by enrolling through our website Though the party is still not decided whether it would contest the 2022 Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh. "It is for the party to decide on this issue. There is still time for the Assembly polls here," Sanjay Singh added.
AAP has also decided to launch a major publicity blitzkrieg in Uttar Pradesh. More than 5,000 posters and banners will be put up in each district highlighting the AAP model of politics and development. The party earlier tried its luck in Punjab and Haryana but did not succeed as it had leadership issues in both states.
The bottom line is that Kejriwal will not leave Lord Hanuman. He is knocking the doors of politics in Uttar Pradesh, the biggest state of the country. Pragmatic Hindutva or Soft Hindutva, with the fine blend of “the Arvind Kejriwal model of development”, the Aam Aadmi Party could give his political rivals a run for their money in the state. And this signal, in the days to come, could give sleepless nights not only to the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party, but also to the ruling BJP in the state. And the reason is obvious– Kejriwal is with Lord Hanuman!
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