Arvind Kejriwal Writes to RSS Chief on BJP’s Politics, Raises Questions

NEW DELHI:
AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal has written a letter to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat seeking answers to some questions on the BJP’s politics.

In the letter, Kejriwal has posed questions like — Does RSS support whatever wrong BJP has done in the past few days? BJP leaders are openly distributing money, does RSS support vote buying? Dalit and Purvanchali votes (from the voter list) are being cut on a large scale. Does RSS think this is good for democracy? Doesn’t RSS feel that the BJP is weakening democracy?”

The former Delhi Chief Minister had on December 29 launched a scathing attack on the BJP, accusing the party of attempting to manipulate the voter lists, and also claimed that ‘Operation Lotus’ has been going on since December 15 in his Assembly constituency. He highlighted voter deletion issues in the Shahdara constituency, where the BJP allegedly submitted applications to remove 11,008 voters.

Kejriwal also alleged that “Operation Lotus” began in his own New Delhi constituency on December 15. “In 15 days, they submitted applications to delete 5,000 voters and add 7,500. My constituency has 1,06,000 voters, so they are trying to delete 5 per cent and add 7.5 per cent. If 12 per cent of the votes are manipulated, what’s the point of elections? This is blatant tampering in the name of democracy.”

This was refuted by the BJP, which claimed that the AAP had included illegal Bangladeshis and Rohingyas in the voter list. “We openly state that you have added 8,000 to 10,000 illegal votes per constituency.

In houses where five people live, you’ve registered up to 50 fake votes. We will remove every single one of these illegal votes,” BJP spokesperson Manjinder Singh Sirsa had said in response.

The BJP leader further accused AAP of harbouring and supporting infiltrators for political gain. “You’ve settled infiltrators here, given them Rs 10,000 per month, free ration, and even shelter in tents…Now, when their votes are being removed, you are in distress. Let me make it clear, no Rohingya or Bangladeshi infiltrator will be allowed to vote in Delhi,” Sirsa said.

This is not the first time that Kejriwal has written to the RSS chief. He wrote a similar letter in September 2024 asking five questions related to the BJP and its leadership.

Expressing concern, Kejriwal said the direction in which the BJP-led Centre was taking the country as well as its politics were harmful to India. His letter also raised questions about the actions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the role of the BJP.

Among the five key questions posed, Kejriwal asked whether the BJP’s age limit for retirement, which has been applied to veteran leaders like L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, also applies to PM Modi. He questioned whether PM Modi would step down when he reached the age of 75.

Another question raised by the AAP chief was the alleged misuse of central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to “destabilise opposition-led governments”.

Kejriwal questioned whether this practice aligns with the values of the RSS. He also drew attention to BJP President J.P. Nadda’s statement during the Lok Sabha elections, where he reportedly said that the BJP does not need the RSS. Kejriwal asked Bhagwat what his reaction was to this.

In the 2024 letter, Kejriwal said the RSS is the mother organisation of the BJP and it is the responsibility of RSS to bring the party on the right path.