Sita temple, ‘Humare Ram’, and more pilgrimages: In Punjab, AAP steps up Hindu outreach with Kejriwal's big promises

AS the Aam Aadmi company (AAP) steps up its outreach also to hindoo voters forward of the 2027 Punjab assemblage elections due in near seven months, party chief Arvind Kejriwal has announced a series of religious and cultural initiatives. These include temple redevelopment, expanded pilgrimage routes and Ramayana-themed programmes, even as the party navigates parallel controversies involving Sikh religious institutions.Kejriwal, during his three-day visit to Punjab while participating in the Punjab government's ‘Ek Shaam Bhagwan Shiv Ke Naam’ (religious discourse on Lord Shiva) programmes in Jalandhar, Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Batala, made the announcements.He claimed no previous government had organised devotional gatherings on such a scale, and announced that the programme would now be expanded across all 22 districts of Punjab.5 promises by KejriwalAmong five promises that the AAP shared as separate short videos on its social media handles, the former Delhi CM announced a ₹80-crore redevelopment of the Kali Mata Temple in Patiala, saying the project would be completed by September. “I believe it will emerge as one of the largest temples in northern India,” he said. Speaking in Amritsar, he said the Bhagwant Mann government is also planning a grand temple dedicated to Mata Janaki (Sita), Luv and Kush (sons of Lord Ram and Sita) adjacent to the Bhagwan Valmiki Temple at Ram Tirath in Amritsar. The place is traditionally associated with Valmiki — the sage who authored the Sanskrit epic Ramayana that chronicles the life of Lord Ram — and Sita, Luv and Kush.“I returned from Ayodhya only yesterday after offering prayers to Lord Ram at the Ram Mandir. Today, I am extremely happy to make this announcement. This is not just good news for the people of Amritsar but for devotees of Bhagwan Ram and Mata Janaki across the world,” the AAP supremo said.Another major announcement was the expansion of the Punjab government's Mukh Mantri Teerath Yatra Yojana. The scheme is open to people of all religions and covers pilgrimage destinations associated with multiple faiths, including Sikh shrines, Hindu temples and the Ajmer Sharif Dargah for Muslims.Kejriwal announced three additional Hindu pilgrimage circuits — Salasar-Khatu Shyam in Rajasthan, Haridwar-Rishikesh in Uttarakhand and Mathura-Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh — which are expected to begin around August 1, with the government estimating that around 1.5 lakh pilgrims will travel on the new routes.“Travel, food, accommodation and darshan—everything is free and paid for by the Punjab government,” Kejriwal underlined.Kejriwal further announced that the Ramayana-based theatrical production ‘Humare Ram’, starring actor Ashutosh Rana, would be staged across Punjab from August 1. He said the ticket cost ₹8,000 when he watched it in Delhi. “The play will be free for the people of Punjab. I urge everyone to watch it — it is an excellent production,” he said.At a programme in Gurdaspur, Kejriwal said the Bhagwant Mann government had done more for Sanatan Dharma than previous governments in Punjab.Hatred never takes root in Punjab, says MannCM Bhagwant Mann used the Amritsar platform to emphasise communal harmony too. Describing Amritsar as a city that gives the world a message of humanity and brotherhood, he said Punjab was a land where “whatever seed you sow grows, but the seed of hatred never takes root”.He said people in the state celebrate Ram Navami, Gurpurabs, Hanuman Jayanti, Guru Ravidas Jayanti, Guru Tegh Bahadur's martyrdom day and Eid together.Punjab is around 58% Sikh, 38% Hindu, and has smaller populations of Christians and Muslims. Part of patternThe outreach follows a broader pitch by Kejriwal towards sections of Punjab's Hindu electorate in recent weeks. Earlier this month, he accused the Enforcement Directorate under the Centre's BJP-led government of harassing “Hindu traders” in Punjab through raids. The trader community in Punjab is largely urban and Hindu. Opposition parties criticised the remarks, alleging he was attempting to give an economic issue a communal colour.The outreach has also coincided with Kejriwal's campaign over the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, where he has demanded action against those responsible and attacked PM Narendra Modi and Yogi Adityanath's governments directly.Punjab's politics has in recent years centred on agrarian issues, regional identity and Sikh institutions, but the state's electoral arithmetic also gives significant weight to Hindu voters, who play an influential role in several urban and semi-urban constituencies, including the Abohar-Fazilka belt, parts of Amritsar, Jalandhar and Ludhiana; plus Pathankot, Batala and Hoshiarpur; besides Patiala and Mohali closer to the state capital Chandigarh.Why timing is crucialWith the BJP seeking to consolidate its voter base following its split with ally Shiromani Akali Dal, and the Congress seeking to focus on the urban vote too, AAP's widening pitch is unfolding against an increasingly competitive political backdrop ahead of the 2027 assembly election, expetcted to be a four-cornered contest in the least.The AAP regime is already facing the heat over its anti-sacrilege legislation for Sikh scriptures, over which the Akal Takht summoned all Sikh MLAs who supported the law that was passed unanimously earlier this year. The Sikh temporal body does not have objections to strict punishments such as life term, but has noted that the law “interferes” with religious tenets and authority. On Monday, the Takht leadership including the jathedar, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj, held a hearing with all Sikh MLAs and gave them one month to amend the law.This controversy has been accompanied by a row over a video allegedly showing CM Bhagwant Mann in a manner seen as hurting Sikh sentiments, a charge Mann has denied saying the person in the clip was wearing a mask impersonating him.