Vishal Dadlani, a well-known supporter of the Aam Aadmi Party, sent out a suggestive tweet in which he claimed he has nothing to do with anyone “who brings any part of any religion to any aspect of government” without mentioning Kejriwal or the party. “The Indian Constitution declares that our nation is a Secular Socialist Republic. Therefore, religion must NOT be used for political purposes. “The AAP fan tweeted on the same day that Kejriwal urged PM Modi to put images of Lakshmi and Ganesha on Indian banknotes. The former AAP candidate and actor, Gul Panag, also expressed her thoughts on the matter.
“To be completely clear, I have nothing to do with anyone who brings any part of any religion to any aspect of government. Jai Hind,” the composer wrote, without any mention of the context.
The composer has already criticised the party. In 2020, the composer of songs criticised the party for approving Kanhaiya Kumar’s trial in a sedition case.
“Whether it’s a means to an end or an end in itself – bringing religion into everything, is a game everyone will play now. And not just politicians! Those who disagree can keep invoking the Constitution, in vain,” Gul Panag tweeted.
A major ‘Hindutva’ row started after Kejriwal made the appeal with the BJP claiming that the party is now trying to divert the attention of the public from the “anti-Hindu” mindset of the leaders. After Kejriwal made the appeal, AAP leaders too came out in support of Kejriwal’s demand. “You can continue to hate Arvind Kejriwal if you want to, but don’t hate Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha at least. Don’t hate their blessings. Don’t hate this country’s prosperity at least,” AAP MLA Atishi said.
Kejriwal said Indonesia even has an image of Lord Ganesha on its currency note. He said the new currency notes can have the pictures of Lakshmi and Ganesha on one side and the image of Mahatma Gandhi on the other—as is.