AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday, 1 July 2026, charged that the Bharatiya Janata Party has used Sanatan Dharma purely as a tool to gain power and money, while asserting that only the Aam Aadmi Party works for Sanatan with genuine feeling. The remarks came in a Hindi post on X that has drawn attention ahead of a string of state assembly elections expected in the second half of 2026.

Context

Kejriwal's post, in Hindi, states: 'BJP ne Sanatan ka keval satta aur paise ke liye istemal kiya hai' ('The BJP has used Sanatan only for power and money'). He adds that today only the Aam Aadmi Party is working for Sanatan with true feeling. The charge is direct and unusually sharp, naming the rival party explicitly rather than making a general critique of the political class.

The post carries a video attachment, suggesting the party intends to amplify the message through social media campaigns. AAP has increasingly deployed religious outreach alongside its signature welfare-oriented messaging in recent electoral cycles.

Policy Backdrop

The BJP, whose ideological roots draw on Hindutva, has made the restoration of Sanatan heritage a centrepiece of its political identity. The culmination of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement — the inauguration of the Ayodhya temple in January 2024 — was framed by the party as the fulfilment of a civilisational promise to Hindu voters across the country.

AAP's counter-positioning is not new. Since its emergence as a national force, the party has sought to distinguish itself from the BJP's Hindutva emphasis by stressing what it calls sincerity of intent over electoral utility. Kejriwal has publicly identified as Hindu and has previously undertaken televised recitation of the Hanuman Chalisa and visits to prominent temples, moves read by analysts as efforts to neutralise the BJP's cultural advantage.

Stakeholders and Impact

Hindu voters and religious organisations constitute the primary audience for this messaging. In a competitive landscape where multiple parties contest ownership of Hindu identity, Kejriwal's framing attempts to recast the debate: not who supports Sanatan, but who does so authentically versus instrumentally.

The accusation that the BJP uses religion 'only for power and money' is a rhetorical charge that the party is likely to contest. Such exchanges have been a recurring feature of Indian electoral politics since the 1990s, when Hindutva first became a decisive mobilising force at the national level. For AAP, which governs Delhi and Punjab, the stakes are high in any state where Hindu identity politics shapes voter calculus.

What's Next

With state assembly elections scheduled after mid-2026, the timing of Kejriwal's post signals that AAP intends to contest the BJP on cultural terrain rather than cede it. Analysts will watch for follow-up announcements — on pilgrimages, temple administration, or religious education schemes — that could give policy substance to the party's claim of 'true feeling' for Sanatan. The BJP's response, and whether it escalates the exchange into a broader debate on religious sincerity in politics, will shape how this narrative develops in the weeks ahead.