New Delhi: The resignation by Delhi social welfare minister Rajendra Pal Gautam on Sunday was a strategic move by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, sources have said, as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was struggling to douse the political controversy triggered by a religious conversion event the minister attended last week.
According to those in the know, removing Gautam sends a strong message that AAP is not in the space of caste and communal politics.
This will help the party in the upcoming Gujarat elections, leaders felt, as well as reinforce its “good governance” master plan in the party’s national expansion.
Moreover, this will also blunt the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) charge that the AAP government in Punjab has failed to curb mass religious conversions.
An AAP national executive member said: “We cannot get into the space of caste and communal politics. It is the BJP’s space. Taking any stand on such matters can backfire. Staying away from caste politics at this stage is extremely crucial for us ahead of the Gujarat polls and in the light of the AAP’s national expansion plan.”
Gujarat, along with Himachal Pradesh, are going to polls later this year. The AAP is contesting in both the states. Other than that, the party’s national expansion plan includes several other states such as Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, which go to polls next year.
Two other senior AAP functionaries told ThePrint that the RSS has the party in its cross hairs over Dalit conversions and that this could become a bigger problem in future.
One of them said: “Conversion among Dalits in certain belts of Punjab has been happening for years now. At this point, the RSS is trying to create a strong foothold in Punjab, and is therefore raking up the issue. The RSS has constantly attacked AAP over this ever since it came to power in March. This can turn into a bigger problem in the time to come.”
The AAP, however, has so far not issued any official statement on the controversy surrounding Gautam.
Gautam participated in an event in central Delhi’s Karol Bagh on 5 October in which a gathering of people purportedly took oath to boycott Hindu deities and embraced Buddhism – thus, triggering a political row.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has since accused the AAP of hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus.
According to party sources, Arvind Kejriwal met Gautam on Friday and strongly expressed his displeasure over the issue.
The Delhi Cabinet has room for seven ministers, of which one is reserved for an MLA representing communities under the scheduled caste or scheduled tribe categories. Gautam represents Dalits and is most likely to be replaced by another MLA from the same community, a senior AAP functionary said.
However, with the latest move, the AAP is staring at another question: What if this move chips away at its Dalit support in poll-bound states?
“We have assessed such scenarios in the past while keeping a safe distance from religious issues. Our idea is to create a separate space that is based on development, welfare, jobs, better living, etc. That is what we think primarily matters to people,” the senior leader said.
Also read: AAP minister Rajendra Pal Gautam resigns after row over him allegedly denouncing Hindu deities