The Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) swerve towards majoritarian politics is not new. It has been witnessed, time and again, ahead of several Assembly and Parliamentary elections. But the latest statement by the party’s president and the Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, has even the hardline Hindutva Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) reminding him that India is a secular country. On Wednesday, October 26, Kejriwal appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that images of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi be printed on currency notes. The statement comes ahead of elections in Gujarat where the AAP has been bending over backwards to appease pro-Hindu sentiments.
Although AAP’s genesis was in the anti-corruption movement led by activist Anna Hazare, the party veered towards Hindutva as its national ambitions grew. In Delhi, the AAP has been silent on atrocities against minorities and in some instances, has actively participated in the dog whistling against minorities. For example, when communal violence broke out in Delhi in 2020, the AAP blamed it on Rohingya Muslims. In Punjab too, the AAP played up victimhood of the majoritarian religion to garner votes and eventually ended up winning the Assembly elections.
In Gujarat, a state that has voted the BJP to power for over two decades and often considered a bastion of Hindutva politics, the AAP has been unabashedly moving towards Hindutva. From Kejriwal’s ‘Jai Sri Ram’ chants to another senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia refusing to answer questions on the BJP government releasing the accused in the Bilkis Bano case, the party’s unambiguous display of the religious card has been unprecedented.
But the AAP’s politics in the southern states has been markedly different. The party has been making a serious attempt to gain a foothold in Karnataka and Telanagna, two states that will go to polls in the coming months. And here the party has chosen against any overt display of Hindutva.
In Karnataka, as the state saw a steep increase in Hindutva over the last 18 months, the AAP has been mum against the ruling BJP’s anti-minority stance. Instead it has chosen to focus on corruption and governance. Narendra Pani, a professor of economics and social science, says this is because Hindutva has not won an election on its own in Karnataka.
“If you look at how the BJP has formed governments in Karnataka, it has come close (to getting a simple majority) and created alliances or used defections to form the government. Even in that case, it has been because of Yediyurappa rather than Hindutva,” Pani says. “They (BJP) tried to push Hindutva more by taking a hardline stance making Nalin Kumar Kateel the party president, but it seems like they have realised that it will not work and the focus now is on corruption. With the collapse of the Janata Dal, the BJP managed to make a mark in Karnataka,” he adds.
In a state where even the BJP has not found success by just radicalisation of the majoritarian population, the AAP does not have any space, Pani says.
The AAP has chosen to instead concentrate its attention on corruption in infrastructure projects, on farmer issues and development. Local leaders steer clear of even pointed questions on communalism and instead choose to speak about schools, drinking water and other such issues.
“You cannot just speak about education, water, electricity and such topics because these will not solve all social issues. Silence on other issues means you are endorsing it,” says Prof Muzaffar Assadi, a political scientist and analyst.
“There is hardly any difference between Arvind Kejriwal and Nirmala Sitharaman now. Kejriwal uses the language of a local baba these days and his political position reflects that,” Prof Assadi adds. He says that many times in the past, the kind of politics AAP is pushing has been tried in Karnataka but has not borne any fruit. “AAP has become a party that is not concerned about other social issues. When there are communal riots in Delhi, Kejriwal did not speak nor did he when there were hate speeches made there. When the Bilkis Bano issue came up, they (AAP) again did not speak up.”
Talekapalli Ravi, a senior journalist and political observer from Telangana, says that while the AAP has almost negligible presence in the state, Kejriwal’s excessive display of religion will only backfire. “Kejriwal is being more religious than Modi. I don’t think it will work in Telangana. AAP is yet to find its place in the state. Not just AAP, but any other party that emulates Hindutva and the BJP will find it difficult. So far AAP has not even been a serious contender and such statements will further alienate the party from the people of Telangana,” he says.
A former member of the AAP from the state says that Kejriwal has gone overboard with Hindutva. And that the state unit is confused about what stand to take. “The leaders in Telangana, like in other southern states, have been asked to focus on developmental issues. But when the face of the party, Kejriwal, makes such statements, it puts them in an awkward position,” he says.
Ravi says that earlier the Telangana sentiment was the main chatter in the state. “Now, the main focus is on how the Union government is treating the state,” he says. “The grievance against the Union government is also moulded in the Telangana sentiment. In addition, Hyderabad is known for communal harmony so there is a feeling that it should not be disturbed. At the end of the day, AAP too is seen as a north Indian party as well,” the journalist adds.
After winning the Punjab Assembly elections, Kejriwal had visited both Karnataka and Telangana and signalled the party’s intent to expand its footprints in both the states. While Karnataka is expected to go to polls in May 2023, the term of the Telangana Assembly ends in December 2023.