NEW DELHI: Taking on critics who accuse him of adopting a ‘soft Hindutva’ approach to woo Hindu votes by performing public puja on Diwali, visiting Ayodhya, and reciting Hanuman Chalisa on national TV, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said ‘Hindutva’ means following the conduct, promises and life of Lord
Ram
and not communal riots, abusing people on social media and atrocities against Dalits.
Kejriwal, who spoke frankly on a range of issues including the soaring national ambition of Aam Aadmi Party at Times Now Summit 2021 on Wednesday, said, “if visiting temples or celebrating Diwali is soft Hindutva, then crores of people in this country are also doing the soft Hindutva and then I am also doing the same.”
Kejriwal said he was attacked by BJP and Congress when he went to Ayodhya and chanted Hanuman Chalisa and asked what crime he committed by doing so. “Connecting 130 crore people of the country is Hindutva not dividing them. Hindutva connects not divides,” Kejriwal stated.
AAP
has been trying to expand its footprints beyond Delhi and is currently concentrating on upcoming assembly elections in Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh. Commenting on AAP’s chances in the upcoming Goa assembly polls, Kejriwal said his party will present the Delhi model which is known for having provided quality education, hospitals, good healthcare, and free power to people among other things. People of Goa want the same governance model, Kejriwal said.
Taking a dig at Congress over the ongoing infighting in the party Punjab unit, Kejriwal said Punjab is gripped with many problems like power cuts, unemployment, etc. but the ruling Congress is busy in infighting. “Only AAP can give stable and good governance in Punjab like it did in Delhi. We are well prepared for Punjab. People are disappointed with Akali Dal and people do not believe that infighting within Congress will be fixed. People of Punjab are connected to Delhi and they feel the change here and want AAP’s government in Punjab,” Kejriwal stated.
Kejriwal outrightly rejected the rumors that he would become the CM of Punjab if AAP forms the government. He added that AAP will announce its
Punjab CM
face at the right time but before the assembly polls. “I will not become Punjab CM, I will remain in Delhi, I am Delhi’s son. Delhi made me CM within one year after we formed AAP. I will never break the trust people have in me,” Kejriwal stressed.
Kejriwal defended the freebies the AAP government is giving in Delhi like free electricity and free bus ride for women. Kejriwal said all ministers get free electricity, free treatment at hospitals, so if the AAP government is giving 200 units of electricity-free and providing hospital facilities for free to the common man, then what is the problem. “It (politics of freebies) is a good politics and everyone should do,” Kejriwal said, adding that the government saves money from many projects and uses the money for the freebies and has not increased tax to fund them. Kejriwal said every government has enough money, they only need the right intention.
Kejriwal said AAP will contest all 402 assembly seats in UP and urged the Centre to accept the demands of the farmers protesting on Delhi's borders.
Get real-time updates on Budget 2025 and Income Tax Slabs on Times of India. Check out the latest income tax slabs FY 2025-26.Alok K N Mishra is a New Delhi-based journalist with the Times of...
Read MoreAlok K N Mishra is a New Delhi-based journalist with the Times of India. He is an ardent follower of politics and is fascinated about making politics work better for the middle-class and the poor. He loves to discuss and predict national political behavior. Before shifting to Delhi, he covered political instability, governance, and misgovernance besides Maoists insurgency in Jharkhand for almost half a decade. He has been with the Times of India since 2010 when he started out as a municipal reporter in Patna. He tweets from the handle @AlokKNMishra
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