Modi, Thackeray, Shivaji — Maharashtra BJP has its own ideas on who should be on new banknotes

After criticising Delhi CM Kejriwal's request for photos of Lakshmi, Ganesh on notes, BJP members suggest using images of politicians & historical figures, Congress suggests Ambedkar.

Edited images of currency notes shared by BJP MLA | Twitter @ramkadam

Mumbai: From Chhatrapati Shivaji and Vinayak Damodar Savarkar to Prime Minister Narendra Modi — Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders from Maharashtra have voiced their suggestions on the famous faces they believe should adorn new currency notes after having criticised Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s demand for images of Lord Ganesh and Goddess Lakshmi on banknotes.

BJP MLA and Union minister Narayan Rane’s son Nitesh Rane took to Twitter Wednesday to post an edited image of a Rs 200 currency note with Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji’s face on it — captioned, “Ye perfect hai (this is perfect)”.

Ram Kadam, another BJP MLA from Maharashtra, took the thread further by suggesting that apart from images of Shivaji, those of B.R. Ambedkar, Savarkar and Modi should be plastered on currency notes.

The BJP MLAs’ suggestions were a reaction to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Kejriwal’s suggestion that new currency notes be printed with images of Lord Ganesh and Goddess Lakshmi on one side and Mahatma Gandhi on the other. Doing so, he said, would “help the country prosper”, adding that he would write to PM Modi in this regard in a day or two.

Kejriwal’s statement drew flak from the BJP, which sensed the AAP’s clear Hindutva pitch ahead of assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat. BJP MP Manoj Tiwari Wednesday accused the ruling party in Delhi — whose leaders, he said, “abused Hindu gods” and “objected to the Ram Mandir” in Ayodhya — of making a “U-turn”.

Modi, Thackeray on banknotes?

Kadam, the BJP MLA from Mumbai’s Ghatkopar West, said having photos of Modi, Shivaji, Ambedkar and Savarkar on currency notes will inspire “crores of people”.

“Nobody can deny that having photos of Shivaji Maharaj, Babasaheb Ambedkar and Swatantraveer Savarkar will inspire crores of people in the country. No one can deny this. They are respectable figures for everyone,” Kadam tweeted.

He added: “How can we deny the great sacrifice, and dedication of our honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji who brought international glory to our country?”

Maharashtra Congress leader Nitin Raut, too, made a similar suggestion — that of printing Ambedkar’s photo on banknotes along with Gandhi’s. Raut tweeted, “Note par Mahatma Gandhi ke sath Babasaheb Ambedkar ki tasveer kyon nahi (why not have Ambedkar’s photo on the note alongside that of Gandhi’s)?”

Suggesting that Kejriwal should “do some reading and writing” at the schools he keeps flaunting to “brand” himself, Raut wrote that if the CM learns “principles of Babasaheb Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi, perhaps he will not have to sell the drug of religion”.

Anil Parab, a leader from the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena, said his party did not want to get involved in this kind of politics but if given the choice, he would have suggested that currency notes carry the photo of party founder late Bal Thackeray. 

“Everyone feels their leader’s face should be on currency notes, but it doesn’t matter what I want. Ultimately the government takes these decisions,” he told reporters in Mumbai Thursday.

(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)