The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday organised recitations of the Sunderkand in various assembly constituencies of Delhi.
While AAP minister Saurabh Bhardwaj participated in the event at Chirag Delhi, Greater Kailash, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal along with his wife participated in the one at the Balaji temple in Rohini. The AAP’s move comes ahead of the grand ‘pran pratishtha’ ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22. AAP MLA Somnath Bharti also participated in one such paath in the Hanuman Mandir, New Market, Malviya Nagar.
The chief minister reached a little after 3 pm and sat through the recitation of the entire Sunderkand. The recitation was also followed by a Havan in which Kejriwal and his wife participated. The chief minister was seen reading the text of the Sunderkand. This was followed by chanting of various mantras with prayers for the wellbeing of all. The Sunderkand paath ended with Bhimsen Joshi’s ‘mile sur mera tumhara toh sur banege humara’, which was a a rage during the 1990s on public broadcaster Doordarshan. AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak, MLAs Rajesh Rishi were among the others who were present. AAP Rithala MLA Mahindar Goyal was also present with his wife at the Balaji temple in Rohini. The programme saw a robust attendance of people – primarily women from nearby areas.
“It is our resolve (sankalp) that on the first Tuesday of every month, we will organise the recitation of Sunderkand. With this (Sunderkand paath), everyone will progress, will get peace and happiness, Delhi will be filled with auspicious vibrations. We will get the blessings of Hanuman ji and Prabhu Shri Ram,” Kejriwal said, ending the address with chants of ‘Jai Bajrangbali’ and ‘Jai Siyaram’.
AIMIM leader Assaduddin Owaisi had earlier posted on X: “Chhota recharge of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has decided that Sunderkand paath will be recited in every assembly constituency of Delhi on the first Tuesday of every month. This decision was taken because of the inauguration (of the Ram temple) on the 22nd. Let me remind you that these people had maintained silence on the issue of Bilkis Bano and had said that they want to talk on issues of health and education only. Is Sunderkand paath part of education or health? The real issue is that they are far from issues of justice. They are supporting the agenda of the sangh fully. We are expected not even to raise the issue of the Babri masjid. And you, will keep talking on issues of justice, brotherhood etc and yet strengthen the forces of Hinduvta ! Wow!”
Asked to respond , AAP MP Raghav Chadha refused to comment. Instead, he said that Kejriwal was a great devotee of Lord Ram and Lord Hanuman and begins all important tasks by invoking their blessings. He also said that as ‘Shravan Kumar’ of Delhi, the chief minister has enabled various people of Delhi to embark on pilgrimages. Chadha declined to respond specifically to Owaisi’s post. He also did not respond to the comment of Anurag Thakur.
The BJP also targeted the AAP with the ‘imposter syndrome’, with BJP leaders targeting the Delhi CM for changing stand on the Ayodhya Ram Temple.
BJP leader and Union Minister Meenakashi Lekhi said, “…Arvind Kejriwal is the same person who once said Ram temple should not be built, this is Babri Masjid. I would like to remind them, that since 1858, more than five lakh people have lost their lives to reclaim the temple and get it reconstructed… Those who opposed the construction of Ram temple, today are organising ‘Sunderkand Paath’… They can see the whole country is soaked in spiritual fervour, so they have tried to soak themselves in the colours of Lord Ram. If it were Babri’s turn, they would have been dancing to the tunes of Babar…”
However, Kejriwal has declared himself to be a ‘Hanuman bhakt’, who is inspired by ‘lord Ram’ and wants to work towards establishing a ‘Ram Rajya’ in Delhi. Clearly, the AAP does not want the BJP to monopolise the majoritarian sentiment of Hindus or alienate them.
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