AAP boss Arvind Kejriwal wants Hindu gods to adorn Indian currency notes
Arvind Kejriwal is the man of the hour, by all pitiable standards. Look deeper and it would seem that the AAP supremo is playing the role of those he often attacks and ridicules. It looks like he is donning his foes’ garbs with elan to see to it that he is one step ahead of them in their own game. And funnily enough, he is all set to be one with them.
Sitting beneath a picture of Dr B R Ambedkar, the AAP leader has voiced a lofty demand that would make many laugh out loud. The demand to include pictures of Hindu gods and goddesses along with the image of the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on Indian currency notes is being discussed and laughed away by Indian across the country as at the moment.
This man, who occupies a constitutional position, and that too as Chief Minister of a state in the secular republic of India, demanding images of gods of a certain faith to adorn the currency notes comes across as weird. How could a Chief Minister of a state in India pamper the interests of a certain faith, while he rules over hundreds of thousands of Delhiites from many religions?
Clearly, it is politics at play here. When rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is going all out to hold aloft the interests of the Hindus and thereby stamp their support always so as to stay in power, Kejriwal seems to be going a step ahead to do exactly the same.
The AAP means of halting the rupee slide
Making an appeal to the Centre to have photos of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi on currency notes along with Mahatma Gandhi’s photo is by any count, a political ploy from the part of AAP and its leader. And see what he has been attributing his demand to as he makes his appeal. He has stated that by putting the photos of the gods on the currencies, the country will be able to ensure that the people of the country are blessed in their efforts to better the economy.
For the Hindus, Lord Ganesha is the remover of obstacles, while Goddess Lakshmi brings prosperity. Having them adorn the currency notes would lift the economy, Kejriwal believes. His belief, however, is of no concern. What makes a Chief Minister of a state that houses Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis and many more could want Hindu Gods to pull the economy from its current pits comes as baffling!
His speech was profound, centering around and diving deep in to the crisis in economy and the continuous plummeting of the Indian Rupee. And then, listing down the measures that could help the economic scenario improve, he called for more schools, hospitals and betterment of the infrastructure in the country.
Finally, he stated that it would anyway need the blessings of the gods to get the economy back on rails, and for that he wanted god images on currency notes akin to how businessmen keep idols of the Hindu gods in their workplace.
Worrisome, to say the least
The concern here is not Arvind Kejriwal’s sense on economic affairs. Forget Hindu gods, Kejriwal isn’t supposed to seek images of any god of any faith to adorn our currency notes. He is bound by oath of office that he would remain secular and would not act against the requirements that the constitution calls for.
It indeed is not just funny, but worrisome to the core to see such a demand come from a Chief Minister. If this isn’t losing his sense of propriety, then what is? And, on the funny side, saner people on Twitter have already begun asking, “what is Kejriwal actually smoking?”