Kejriwal’s comeback on BJP criticism over ‘Gods on notes’ plea: ‘Should do it if…’
During a recent media briefing, Kejriwal had appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to have images of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi on currency notes.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for calling his demand to print images of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi on currency notes a "political stunt" stating that the saffron camp should carry it out if it thinks the move will attract votes.
A video shared by the AAP's Twitter handle shows the AAP leader replying to a reporter's question on the BJP's allegation that Kejriwal’s latest demand had "hypocrisy on display" and was made with an eye on the upcoming elections in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat.
Kejriwal, who was visiting a dumpyard amid the rising pollution in the national capital, said, “Then they should do it. If they feel that saying this would attract votes, then they implement it. They are running the central government. They should implement this and get votes.”
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During a recent media briefing, Kejriwal had appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to have images of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi on currency notes.
"Despite trying our best, sometimes our efforts do not fructify if the gods and goddesses are not blessing us. I appeal to the PM (Modi) to have images of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi on our currency (notes). If there is an image of Lakshmi-Ganesha on our currency (notes), our country will prosper. I will write to (the) PM in a day or two on this," he said.
His demand, however, drew sharp reactions from both the BJP and Congress that said it was an unsuccessful attempt to hide the "ugly anti-Hindu face" of the AAP in view of upcoming state elections.
A day after Kejriwal made the remark, senior Congress leader Manish Tewari suggested Bhimrao Ambedkar's photo in a new series of notes.
In a tweet, Tewari said one side of the note can bear the image of Mahatma Gandhi, while the other side can carry the visionary leader’s photo.
