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The timing of the move to begin the work of a college named after Veer Savarkar, now, at the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is significant as it comes just ahead of the Delhi elections
The saffron party is pinning its hopes on Prime Minister Modi’s campaign that begins on Friday. (File image: X)
It is the entry of the Hindutva pitch in the Delhi elections, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday will be laying the foundation of a college here named after Hindutva icon Veer Savarkar.
The executive council of Delhi University had proposed in 2021 that this college be named after Savarkar, among other names offered like Sushma Swaraj and Swami Vivekananda, and left the final decision to the vice chancellor. The timing of the move to begin the work of the college named after Savarkar, now at the hands of the PM, is significant as it comes just ahead of the Delhi elections.
This also comes after Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal announced a grant of Rs 18,000 per month for pujaris and granthis (temple and gurdwara priests) in Delhi, and chief minister Atishi alleged that lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena was planning to order the demolition of certain temples in the capital. The Delhi L-G countered this, saying AAP was playing “communal politics”.
Kejriwal earlier also wrote to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, raising questions about the Bharatiya Janata Paty’s recent actions.
The BJP wants to consolidate the Hindu vote in Delhi in line with its slogan “Ek hain toh safe hain” (We are safe when united) and feels that the Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will split the “AAP vote” in the national capital. Both the Congress and BSP are contesting all 70 assembly seats in Delhi.
“Arvind Kejriwal is worried about his party’s chances in Delhi this time. This explains his recent moves to rally the Hindu votes…the narrative about corruption in AAP ranks has percolated to the voters…there is clear anti-incumbency,” a senior BJP leader looking at Delhi told News18.
The leader also said that the Congress was exposing itself by objecting to a college in Delhi named after Savarkar. “It shows Congress’s reluctance to acknowledge the contribution of Hindutva icons like Veer Savarkar to India’s freedom struggle,” the BJP leader said.
The BJP, however, is still to come up with a counter to AAP’s big moves like free electricity and the promise to give Rs 2,100 each month to women. The first list of the BJP’s candidates is also awaited, even as AAP has already put out the names of all its 70 candidates.
Clearly, the saffron party is pinning its hopes on Prime Minister Modi’s campaign that begins on Friday, and the PM will hold another public meeting in Delhi on Sunday before the elections are announced next week.