Kejriwal Denies Playing Soft Hindutva Card, Says 'AAP Wants To Unite 130 Crore People Of The Country, This Is True Hindutva’

On AAP's poll strategy in Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, the AAP national convenor said his party will showcase the Delhi model of governance and development

(File Photo/ Getty Images)

New Delhi: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is gearing up to contest assembly polls on Wednesday said his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is following "true Hindutva" as it wants to unite 130 crore people of the country and take the nation on the path of development.

Targeting the Modi government, Kejriwal during an interview with a news channel said, “Dividing people in the name of religion, engineering riots and committing atrocities on Dalits is not Hindutva but to unite one human being with another is."

Delhi CM also refuted the charges of playing soft Hindutva card for votes ahead of assembly polls in four states as "absolutely wrong" on back of his recent visit to the Ram temple in Ayodhya and his government's approval to the Tirth Yatra Yojana for senior citizens in Delhi.

The AAP is preparing to contest assembly polls on all seats in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa and Uttarkhand due to be held early next year.

"I don't know what is soft Hindutva. I want to unite 130 crore people of this country, unite one human being with another. This is Hindutva...Hindutva unites, Hindutva doesn't break, Kejriwal added.

Emphasizing that Lord Ram is adored by every Hindu, he stated every word that Ram said, his life and character is Hindutva to him.

"Whatever is going on in the name of Hindutva today is not Hindutva. These people hurl dirty abuses on people on media, threaten people, engineer riots, this is not Hindutva. Atrocities are being committed on Dalits, this is not Hindutva, he said in reply to a question without naming any political party or group.

Without referring to anybody, Kejriwal mentioned that abuses were hurled at him by some people after he recently celebrated Diwali in Delhi and visited Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh for darshan of Shri Ram.

He questioned if it's a sin to celebrate Diwali nicely, visit Ayodhya for darshan of Ram ji? On asked about the Delhi government approving the 'teerth yatra' scheme to take senior citizens in Delhi on pilgrimage to Shirdi, Ajmer, Ayodhya and other religious places, Kejriwal said everybody has spiritual needs and the Delhi government is ensuring these are fulfilled.

"What is wrong in that?", he asked.

Replying to questions on his party's poll strategy in Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, the AAP national convenor said his party will showcase the Delhi model of governance and development.

(With inputs from PTI)