Why BJP calls Kejriwal ‘biggest hypocrite’ over his Ram politics
New Delhi: BJP national spokesperson and IT department head Amit Malviya called Arvind Kejriwal the “biggest hypocrite” in Indian politics on Sunday, citing what he described as the AAP leader’s shifting. . .
New Delhi: BJP national spokesperson and IT department head Amit Malviya called Arvind Kejriwal the “biggest hypocrite” in Indian politics on Sunday, citing what he described as the AAP leader’s shifting position on the Ram Mandir. आज की तारीख़ में हिंदुस्तान की राजनीति में अरविंद केजरीवाल से बड़ा पाखंडी कोई नहीं है।— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya)July 12, 2026The statement called for an examination of Kejriwal’s journey from questioning temple-centred politics to invoking Ram bhakts, dharma and capital punishment during the Ayodhya donation theft controversy. Earlier, at a Sundarkand recital in Delhi’s Rohini, the AAP national convenor referred to those present as Ram bhakts, invoked religious duty and declared that they would not rest until those responsible for the alleged theft were hanged. सियावर रामचंद्र की जय. . आज मुझे रोहिणी, दिल्ली में आयोजित भव्य सुंदरकांड पाठ में सम्मिलित होने का सौभाग्य प्राप्त हुआ।आज हम सभी राम भक्तों ने यह संकल्प लिया है कि श्री राम मंदिर में डकैती करने वाले महापापियों को फांसी की सजा दिलवाकर ही दम लेंगे। यही भगवान राम का आदेश है और…pic. twitter. com/yn9FontEhw— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal)July 12, 2026AAP also launched a nationwide signature campaign over the case, while Kejriwal accused the BJP and the wider establishment of protecting “dacoits and thieves”. From questioning temple politics to claiming Ram bhaktsKejriwal’s earlier position on the Ayodhya dispute was built around opposition to the politics surrounding the temple movement. In a 2014 speech, he recalled asking his grandmother whether she was happy after the demolition of the Babri Masjid because a Ram temple could now be built. According to Kejriwal’s account, she replied that her Ram could not reside in a temple constructed after demolishing a mosque. In 2018, while criticising the renewed political campaign around the temple, Kejriwal contrasted temple construction with Jawaharlal Nehru’s emphasis on industrial development. He asked whether India would have progressed if Nehru had built a temple instead of institutions such as the Steel Authority of India. His present language is no longer that of a leader maintaining distance from religious mobilisation. He is now calling AAP the “true Sanatani” party, questioning whether BJP leaders are genuine devotees and invoking Ram bhakts and dharma to build political pressure over the alleged theft. The shift did not begin in 2026He visited Ayodhya in 2021, participated in the Saryu aarti and offered prayers at the Ram Janmabhoomi site. Ahead of the 2024 consecration, he said he wanted to visit the temple with his family and later travelled there with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. AAP also institutionalised Sundarkand recitals across Delhi in January 2024, announcing programmes in all Assembly constituencies on the first Tuesday of every month. Kejriwal attended one such recital in Rohini and said the events would seek the blessings of Lord Ram and Hanuman. He subsequently invoked Ram Rajya as a model for welfare governance and continued participating in religious programmes. Kejriwal therefore did not discover devotional politics during the present scandal. He has been moving steadily towards it for several years. The donation controversy has instead produced his most aggressive use of that politics. The hypocrisy?Kejriwal always criticised the BJP for useing Lord Ram and the temple for votes while failing to protect the institution or ensure accountability. He has specifically targeted Union Home Minister Amit Shah for repeatedly mentioning the Ram Mandir in speeches while allegedly not visiting it after the consecration. But Kejriwal is now using the same test of public religiosity that he accuses the BJP of exploiting. Whether a politician visited the temple, attended Sundarkand, called himself a Ram bhakt or displayed sufficient devotional enthusiasm has become part of his political argument. The death penalty demandKejriwal’s call for those involved to be hanged represents another shift in tone. His earlier political identity was built around administrative reform, anti-corruption investigations and institutional accountability. The Ram Mandir campaign now combines an allegation of corruption with religious outrage and a demand for the most extreme punishment. The demand does not add evidence to the case or establish who was responsible. It raises the emotional stakes and allows Kejriwal to present himself as more uncompromising than the BJP on an issue involving Hindu faith. That is precisely the kind of high-decibel religious politics he earlier criticised when questioning the temple movement and the priorities of the BJP. The inconsistencyThe clearest hypocrisy is not that Kejriwal once opposed a temple and now supports it. His earlier statements were more specifically directed at the mosque demolition, religious polarisation and the political use of temple construction. The contradiction is that he now uses the same methods he condemned. He accuses rivals of seeking votes in Ram’s name while deploying Ram’s name against them. He questions their devotion while advertising his own. He attacks the mixing of religion and political interest while turning a criminal investigation into a contest over who represents the real Ram bhakt. The donation case may provide AAP with a sharp line of attack against the BJP. It also exposes how far Kejriwal has travelled from the political posture with which he first approached the Ram Mandir question.