NEW DELHI: AAP leaders have increasingly turned to the epic Ramayana for analogies to describe their roles in Delhi’s politics, invoking legendary figures to highlight their loyalty and purpose.
After a day filled with symbolic gestures and declarations by new Delhi chief minister Atishi, Kailash Gahlot, newly appointed minister in the Atishi-led Delhi government, proclaimed himself as the “Hanuman” to former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Gahlot, who retained his positions as the minister for transport, home, administrative reforms, and women and child development, took charge on Tuesday and vowed to carry forward Kejriwal’s unfinished work.
“It is Tuesday today, the day of Hanumanji, and I will work like Hanuman of Arvind Kejriwal and clear all his pending works. The AAP worked well under his leadership and tried to establish Ram Rajya,” Gahlot said after taking charge.
Gahlot, the MLA from Najafgarh, expressed optimism about the party’s prospects in the upcoming Delhi assembly elections, which are slated for February. He voiced his confidence that Kejriwal would return to his role as chief minister.
“The people of Delhi will bless us, and Kejriwal will again sit on the chair of Delhi CM. Our CM was and will be Arvind Kejriwal,” Gahlot added.
His statements follow a series of Ramayana-inspired analogies made by AAP leaders in the wake of Kejriwal’s resignation. A day earlier, Delhi’s new chief minister Atishi likened her current situation to that of Lord Ram’s brother Bharat, who ruled Ayodhya during Ram’s 14-year exile. “I have the same pain in my heart as Bharat ji had,” Atishi remarked, adding that she would serve as CM for the next four months with the hope that Kejriwal would return.
Atishi’s symbolic act of leaving Kejriwal’s chair empty in her office stirred controversy, with opposition parties accusing her of disrespecting constitutional norms. The BJP and Congress sharply criticised the gesture, calling it a “grave insult” to the role of chief minister. Atishi explained that she had left the chair empty as a tribute to Kejriwal, likening her temporary leadership to Bharat’s symbolic rule, where he placed Lord Ram’s sandals on the throne.
Manish Sisodia, another senior AAP leader, had earlier drawn parallels between his relationship with Kejriwal and that of Lord Ram and his brother Laxman from the Ramayana, reinforcing the party’s narrative of loyalty and devotion to their leader.