AAP promises an "all Religion spiritual City Status" for Banaras. This is convenient. Why banaras? why not Ayodhya or Mathura. Why not Rameshwaram or Dwarika or Hazi Ali, or Golden temple.(Oh how hard i am trying to sound sufficiently secular!). Is it just because Kejariwal is a candidate from Banaras? So, after a Shiva mythology, Lots of temples, lots of scriptures, scores of weed smoking and all the spiritual history, it takes an Aam aadmi fighting election that elevates Kashi?
The title is all the more perplexing. An "All" religion spiritual place? What exactly does that mean? And how many religion are we counting. Hindu? muslim? christians? Sikhs? Buddhist? Jain? Jew? Zoroastrian? and other all too(lost and alive...ho ha ho ha hhooooooo)?
So you will make it spiritual for all. And then What? All these people will start coming to Varanasi, leaving all other pilgrimage because Government Of India has declared it spiritual? Or endorsed by G.O.I. People will have more spiritual effect. Like beer mixed with whisky, It will hit hard .
AAP promises that they will develop this city in above ridiculed way. How will you develop that? You will create new spiritual philosophies? Subsidize philosophical imports? On railway stations, holy mantras of all religions will be scheduled to scream? Or you will make more temples, and mosques and churches all over, with common toilets? Ahh you will clean Ganga! That will make it spiritual. Like a clean Thames makes London a spiritual capital of world!
Or you will make it more spiritual by opening hippie centers, and throwing everyone else (of all religion alike) out, who doesn't buy this official spiritual ways, and wants to die just like a nobody.
"Sorry sir we don't give room to a non-spiritual man!"
And what is with this "All religion" theme? Having equal disrespect (read respect if you are offended) to all religions in my heart, I fail to understand why a secular party can't accept heritage of a religion individually. Is Banaras principally spiritual for any reason other that Hinduism (not hindutva, mind you ). Or in a secular world Sikhs will get credit for Roman Cathedrals, and Confucians will get credit for sermons on the mount?What exactly being secular is?
Reason why i write this is not that i support BJP or Congress.(Yes, few people are not enchanted by any!!!) Its because AAP irritates me for variety of reasons such as simplification of problems and half cooked solutions, to name a few. But most irritating one is that they are a group of motivated people, claiming to be "Aam Aadmi", who want to do well for country (I presume), and then they try to fool common man of India, just like every one else. AAP, please get over with your feeling of intellectual superiority, or get over with hypocrisy. Other people are not kids, whom you are trying to pass a bitter medicine by calling it toffee, so that later you can watch them getting better and feel great about yourself. You are fully entitled to do so, as you are not the first to try this.
But just know that people who see you doing that and get irked are in millions.
Critics of critics of AAP often target them for their nitpicking. Here is reason for my skepticism. After A.K. interview episode, and Shazia's remarks, this is third instance when AAP seems to be kneeling down and making compromises of electoral politics (all instances when they acted "not-so" aam"), and this is when they are going for second election. Isn't it time when one should think of various other compromises that any party needs to make, to keep an organisation running, to retain power and to run a country. Is all the hyperbolic honesty coming from a single reason. "They did not have to, so far"
