By Amit Baruah

Bharat Mata Ki Jai is a slogan associated with the Hindu Right and Inquilab Zindabad with the Indian Left. After taking oath as chief minister at the jam-packed Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on Saturday, Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) used both slogans.

He also invoked Bhagwan and Allah almost in the same breath, suggesting there was something divine about the impressive performance that catapulted AAP to power in India’s capital city.

The use of the slogans, taking from the Right and the Left, make it clear that Kejriwal and his associates can’t be slotted into neat political categories and revealed that they will use any symbols to reach the people.

By taking the name of god, the chief minister was telling Delhi (and the nation listening on television) that he wasn’t godless and was a believer who respected different religions.

Here’s what the AAP website has to say on the party being described as “leftist”:

“We are very much solution focused rather than ideology driven. There is an age old tendency to pin down political parties as left, right, center etc. In the process everyone forgets the issues at hands and their solutions. Our goal is to remain solution focused. If the solution to a problem lies on the left we are happy to consider it. Likewise, if it is on right (or in the center) we are equally happy to consider it. Ideology is one for the pundits and the media to pontificate about.”

Kejriwal’s party is arguing that “ideology” obfuscates issues and solutions and they will consider any solution that works.

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