New Delhi: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday once again donned his religious cap as he declared that he was a “bhakt” of Lord Hanuman who has been trying to establish “Ram Rajya” in Delhi for the last six years. Incidentally, ahead of the Delhi assembly polls last year, too, Kejriwal had brought out his religious side when he publicly recited the Hanuman chalisa and visited the deity’s temple both before and after the results.
Kejriwal also declared that his government would as part of its “Teerth Yatra” scheme for senior citizens also provide free travel to them to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya once it is constructed.
While BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, are known to make such temple runs, Kejriwal’s gesture has surprised many, especially at a time when his government received overwhelming support from several minority communities, both in the 2015 and 2020 assembly elections.
Now again, his references to Hindu gods have come at a time when questions are being asked of his government’s handling of the situation both during and after the northeast Delhi riots of February 2020.
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While speaking in the assembly on Wednesday, Kejriwal once again evoked religious sentiments when he said: “All of us worship Lord Rama. Personally, I worship Lord Hanuman who was a devotee of Lord Rama. Hence, I am a devotee of both Lord Rama and Hanuman. Lord Rama was the emperor of Ayodhya. During his rule, it is said, people were content, with no sorrows in life as they had access to all basic facilities. This was called the ‘Ram Rajya’.”
He went on to add how his government has been trying to establish a similar society. “This is accreditation and cannot be paralleled by us humans. However, even if we draw inspiration from this model of ‘Ram Rajya’ and seek to try and establish a similar society, we would be successful in life. Hence, we have been constantly striving to establish this model of ‘Ram Rajya’ in Delhi for the past six years based on ten principles.”
Kejriwal elaborated that these 10 principles included policies and plans related to food, electricity, water, education, health, employment, houses, and respect for women and the elderly.
He also spoke about how as a mark of respect for senior citizens, his “government adopted various measures in this light, the most important one being the provision for ‘Teerth Yartra’.”
“As we all know that in this last phase of life, as also mentioned in the holy scriptures, a man seeks to devote his time to worshipping; so when he returns from his journey, he is engulfed with a sense of immense joy and pleasure,” said Kejriwal.
The Delhi chief minister also promised senior citizens that he would arrange for their free travel to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. He said: “After the judgment of the Supreme Court, a magnificent temple is yet to be constructed; and I would like to put forth in front of the senior citizens of Delhi that once the temple is constructed, I would ensure that all of you are able to visit the Ayodhya temple free of cost.”
He went on to add that “in the Aam Aadmi Party’s Delhi government, people belonging to various castes, class and religious backgrounds are equal. Even in the ‘Ram Rajya’, equality was the main principle with no tolerance for discrimination. Hence, it is imperative for us to strive and live with one another in a peaceful environment, with a feeling of brotherhood.”