Arvind Kejriwal's Temple politics on Gujarat pitch

Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal struck a religious chord with voters in Rajkot by stating that the AAP government would ensure that senior citizens could go on pilgrimages in air conditioned trains, if voted to power in the traditionally bipolar state.

“Did the BJP send anyone to Ayodhya for pilgrimage in last 27 years from Gujarat?” Kejriwal said. He said a poor old woman from Gujarat had expressed her desire to visit Ram Temple in Ayodhya. “I told her to pray that we get to form the government in the state and we shall send her to Ayodhya in an AC train and put her in an AC Hotel and show her the Ram Temple,” he added.

Stepping up his campaign for the assembly elections in Gujarat, Kejriwal was in Rajkot on Wednesday addressing his third public rally since April 2.


Kejriwal also mentioned the Delhi Government’s scheme that sends senior citizens for pilgrimages. He trained his guns on the education system and spoke at length about the achievements of government schools in Delhi and promised to replicate the model in Gujarat.

Interestingly, Kejriwal kept his focussed attack on Gujarat BJP President CR Patil. “Recently, CR Patil called me a fraud. Do I look a fraud to you?” Kejriwal wanted to know. “Those who think CR Patil is a fraud please raise your hand,” Kejriwal asked the crowd. “I am told whosoever may be the chief minister, it is CR Patil who runs the government,” he added.

Kejriwal reiterated his promise to provide free electricity and medical treatment. Talking of the question paper leaks of several examinations in the state, he said: “I want to ask Patil if you can’t handle a paper, how would you run a government?”

“I am educated. I am an engineer. I don’t know politics but I know how to work,” Kejriwal said.

Interestingly, the party is steadily making endeavours to make inroads in Gujarat and is pushing the personal brand of the Delhi Chief Minister and his projection of a clean and efficient administrator image and his claim of “honest politics”. The tag line of the campaign has been “Ek moko Kejriwalne”. (One chance to Kejriwal).

Kejriwal had launched his election campaign in Gujarat along with newly elected Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann from the Khodiyar Mata temple in Nikol area in Ahmedabad on April 2, the first day of Chaitree Navratri.

Later, he addressed another tribal rally in Bharuch along with Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) chief Chhotu Vasava. Kejriwal had kicked off a controversy during the rally when he said, “Gujarat BJP president CR Patil is a resident of Maharashtra. BJP couldn’t find a competent president from 6.5 crore Gujaratis? They would run Gujarat through a man from Maharashtra? People of Gujarat will not tolerate such a big insult.”