Print Lakshmi, Ganesha images on notes: Kejriwal

New Delhi, October 26

Playing the “Hindu card” ahead of the crucial Gujarat Assembly elections and throwing a challenge to the ruling BJP in the state, Aam Aadmi Party convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today demanded that the Centre should print images of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha on new currency notes to bring “economic prosperity to 130 crore Indians”.

The BJP leadership dubbed the demand as an “unsuccessful attempt to hide AAP’s ugly anti-Hindu face” and claimed that the only aim was to woo the voters in poll-bound Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat.

Maintaining that the Indian economy was not in a good shape, Kejriwal, at a press conference, said the country needed a lot of efforts to get the economy back on track along with the “blessings of our gods and goddesses”. “Today, I am appealing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Government that Mahatma Gandhi’s image on one side of the currency notes should remain as it is but on the other side, there should be an image of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi,” the Delhi Chief Minister said.

Asserting that he was not requesting to exchange all the notes in circulation, Kejriwal said his suggestion was for those printed every month. “This way, a significant amount of these notes will be in circulation in some time,” he said.

The Delhi CM said his suggestion was not against anyone, and that even Indonesia, a Muslim country with less than 2 per cent Hindus and more than 85 per cent Muslims, had images of Lord Ganesha on its currency notes. Asked how the idea came to him, Kejriwal said he felt it while performing Diwali puja.

Sensing the political fallout, the BJP said Kejriwal’s “hypocrisy was on show” with party spokesperson Sambit Patra maintaining that the AAP government had recently warned people celebrating Diwali with firecrackers of legal action.

BJP’s Northeast Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari also slammed the demand saying, “If Kejriwal meant what he said, then he should expel former minister Rajendra Pal Gautam and AAP’s Gujarat unit chief Gopal Italia from the party for speaking against Hindu deities.” — TNS

Cites Indonesia

Lakshmi and Ganesha photos on currency notes will bring prosperity… Muslim-majority Indonesia too has Ganesha images on its currency. — Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi CM

Who does not want Lakshmi? It is a necessity for everybody. Malwinder Kang, Punjab AAP spokesman

He is resorting to Hindutva to outwit BJP in Gujarat elections. — Amrinder Raja Warring, Punjab Cong chief

AAP’s slogan of ‘badlav’ (change) stands exposed… Kejriwal now wooing voters through religion. — Daljeet Singh Cheema, SAD spokesman